Barrow Farm RDA provides opportunities for children and adults with complex needs to enjoy activities with horses and ponies. Take a look at around our website to find out more about us.
Upcoming events and dates for your diary
Welcome
Join our 100 Club and support Barrow Farm
A great way for you to support Barrow Farm RDA whilst having a bit of a flutter! Subscription is £5 a month, with the winner getting 20% of the prize pot, 2nd place getting 10%, 3rd place getting 5% and the remaining 65% going to Barrow Farm RDA to help us look after the ponies and provide all the fabulous activities that we do!
To find out more take a look at the 100 Club page.
Join our 100 club today and you could be one of our next winners!
Grand Summer Draw
Tickets are for sale for our Grand Summer Draw
Prizes are
- £500 John Lewis voucher kindly donated by Eurovia Surfacing
- Brewery Tour and beer
- Back, neck and should massage voucher at The Beauty Rooms
- 40 minute head spa at Chelmsford Head Spa
- £20 Bakehouse voucher
- Boot rack and many more prizes
£5 per ticket, to enter please email fundraising@barrowfarmrda.org.uk
Draw will take place in October 2026 and winners will be contacted by telephone
All profits to Barrow Farm RDA
Barrow Farm RDA AGM
To be held at Barrow Farm at 6.00pm on Wednesday 8th July
Everyone is welcome to come along to our AGM.
This is a short meeting where you can find out what we have been up to in the previous 12 months. It’s also where we vote in Trustees for the coming year and approve our independently examined accounts and trustees report for 2025. Whilst everyone is welcome, to vote you need to be a Barrow Farm RDA General Member. If you would like to become a Member please complete an application form, which can be found on the noticeboard or on our website, and return by email to info@barrowfarmrda.org.uk or to the office by 30th June 2026 to ensure you are able to vote at this year’s AGM.
Make a difference
We are looking for motivated and passionate people to join our Board of Trustees.
The role:
- Help govern our group
- Support staff and volunteers
- Ensure we continue to offer life changing experiences to our participants
- Shape the leadership and direction of Barrow Farm RDA
- Ensure we meet the needs of our community and comply with charity laws and RDA UK policies
What are we looking for:
We welcome people from all backgrounds but are particular in need of the following skills:
- Fundraising and income generation
- Marketing and social media
- Disability awareness or healthcare
- Legal/governance
Why join us:
- Make a real difference to the lives of disabled people in your community
- Develop your strategic leadership skills
- Work with a fantastic team of staff, volunteers, participants and horses
- Gain experience in charity management
Commitment
- Trustee positions are volunteer roles
- Attending approximately 6 face to face meetings a year
- Time to worn on projects relating to your own skill sets
- Regular email communication
To find out more about this rewarding role or to have an informal chat, please contact Isobel Gowers on Isobel@barrowfarmrda.org.uk
A visit from the Mayor
On 20 March, we were delighted to welcome the Mayor of Chelmsford, Councillor Jannetta Sosin, accompanied by the Mayoress and the Deputy Mayor’s Consort.
After a guided tour of the stable yard and sensory garden, our visitors joined us in the indoor school to watch the 11.30am lesson, where riders demonstrated their skills.
The Mayor then had the pleasure of presenting our riders with their Endeavour Certificates and Badges in recognition of their hard work and achievements. In true Barrow Farm tradition, the visit finished with tea and cake.
London Marathon 2026
We have three volunteers running the London Marathon for us this year. Find out more about them below:
Lucy Creswell
Running the marathon is my way of taking on a personal challenge I never thought I’d attempt. I’ve never been a runner, so committing to something of this scale feels especially meaningful. Barrow Farm RDA is a charity very close to my heart; I started volunteering with them in 2018 and, in 2024, qualified as an RDA coach. I now teach riding and theory on a Saturday morning, which has given me an even deeper appreciation for the difference the charity makes. The dedication and positivity I’ve witnessed over the years have inspired me to push myself in a new way, and taking on the marathon is my way of pushing beyond my comfort zone while giving back to a cause that means so much to me and has such a positive impact on everyone involved.
To sponsor Lucy go to her donation page
Ruth and Isobel Gowers
We both started volunteering at Barrow Farm when we were 12 years old and continued throughout our teenage years. During that time our Dad ran the London Marathon in aid of Barrow Farm (we think in 1989). We have both stayed involved with the charity over the years as we recognise the valuable work it does. We both love running, especially on the trails. There is something amazing about being out in nature, seeing wildlife, getting fresh air and enjoying the peace and quiet. For some of our riders and drivers their sessions at Barrow Farm are the only time they get to do this. We have both run marathons before but this one will be special as we are running it together for a great cause.
To sponsor Ruth and Isobel go to their Justgiving page
We’ve updated our Achievements and Successes page
Are you interested in finding out what Barrow Farm achieved in 2025? Why not take a look at summary of another successful year. Thank you to all those who have supported or volunteered with us and made it all possible. As a result of your support we provided 3711 sessions for 291 individuals in 2025.
Have you seen a crocodile?
Many thanks to Men in Sheds for making the new addition to our sensory garden and to Shaun and Andrea from Chelmsford Lions for bringing him to his new home.
Pony of the month – Bridie
January’s pony of the month is Bridie.
Bridie is on loan to Barrow Farm and arrived in July 2025. She has settled in really well and is already a firm favourite with riders and coaches. She has been involved in riding sessions, pony care sessions and tea with a pony. After a break from carriage driving Bridie spent two weeks at Mike Daniels driving yard in December doing some refresher training and assessing her suitability to be a RDA driving pony. She was super and her training will continue at home before her final RDA driving assessment. Hopefully she will join Summer and Penny as part of our driving team next season.
To find out more about take a look at Bridie’s page on the website. Keep your eyes peeled for more on Bridie coming on our social media.
Sponsored Event
Thank you again to everyone who took part in our sponsored event in September. We raised £1192.75 from our participants and this was topped up by £418 from The Fun Walk Trust giving a grand total of £1610.75.
This is an amazing amount and will go towards buying hay and feed for the horses and ponies. Janet, trustee and volunteer, attended the Fun Walk Celebration event on our behalf and collected our fundraising certificate.
