It’s a pleasure to introduce myself, my name is Shelley, and I am thrilled to be appointed as a Trustee at Hugs. Horses have been a huge part of my life since a child and I am still just as passionate. We have a herd of horses, including a miniature mule, who all have a story to tell, and a pack of collies and two pigmy goats. Our family enjoy the outdoor life, being active, generally enhancing well-being and spending time with our animals.

I have experience in a variety of areas in the equine industry, including helping many horses over the years who have experienced trauma or simply just misunderstood. I provide rehabilitation care for horses at my yard to help promote their physical and mental wellbeing. I am an Equine Well-Being Coach, and my mission is to support/educate others to give horses a rich and fulfilling life. I have a BSc Honours Degree in Equine Management and have continued my studies at Hartpury University with a MSc in Equitation Science, focusing on ethical practices driven by scientific research to lead informed welfare in equestrianism. Horse-human interactions are fundamental for enhancing equine welfare.

I have many year’s experience working in Social Care and Education with children and young people in leadership capacity, including the knowledge and expertise as a Safeguarding Lead. Vast experience working and supporting in the community, supporting in crisis circumstances and developing projects and driving dynamic change. I aim to share my wealth of knowledge, to supportively contribute to the inspiring work that Hugs achieve in the equine community and providing a safe place for well-being support.

We are beyond grateful to Boosters for their incredible fundraising in support of Hugs! Thanks to their generosity and hard work, more children, young people, and animals will receive the care and support they need. Craig explains why supporting charities is important for their business:

“From our first meeting with Laura at Hugs you could see the passion she carried for the charity and the desire to help people across the region, this made The Hugs Foundation the perfect choice to be one of our charity partners for 2024. Meeting the team and getting to witness first hand the amazing work they all do only reinforced this belief – we were delighted to be able to make a donation to the charities running costs and we cant wait to see how they grow over the coming years, there is no doubt in our minds that they will continue to do amazing things, love to you all – Team Boosters.”

Their kindness is making a real difference, and we can’t thank their awesome team enough for being part of our mission.

We are absolutely delighted to announce that we’ve been awarded a staggering £255,000 over the next 3 years from National Lottery Community Fund for our Hooves, Hearts & Minds Aligned youth well-being project! For those not familiar with our work, the project provides access to mental health and well-being support for approximately 150 children, young people and their families every year. Our team help create brighter future opportunities by engaging service users with the therapeutic bond of our rescue animals combined with the therapeutic powers of nature, outdoor learning and creative activities. The project supports a huge range of complex needs and enables young people to develop coping skills, build confidence, improve their well-being and foster healing and personal growth.

With overwhelming pressure on mental health services and with traditional talk therapies not being an accessible or appropriate option for every young person facing challenges, our charity is helping fill a vital gap to support those in need with this unique project. This amazing achievement has us over the moon with excitement, we are extremely grateful to receive this funding to enable us to support more young people in need. An enormous thank you to the National Lottery and its players for this incredible support, we are in awe of your kindness!