Park Palace Ponies, a riding school in Liverpool, will shutdown at the end of this month unless it can raise £300,000.
The closure date has been set for Saturday 28 June 2025 and stable staff have received redundancy notices.
If the fundraising target is achieved, it will secure the riding centre’s operations for three years.
“We understand people are tired and that fundraising fatigue is real,” said trustee Karen Scott.
“But we’re asking — one final time — for support.
“This is about more than horses. This is about saving a community space that brings joy, purpose, and unity.”
Three-year plan
Earlier this year, a grassroots fundraising campaign raised £4,000. This was enough to cover public liability insurance and secure a council riding school licence.
However, the amount fell short of what is required for the long-term survival of the riding school in Toxeth.
“This has been a heartbreaking time,” said the riding school’s chairperson, Pamela Allen.
“But we’re not giving up without a fight. This space means everything to our young people and our wider community.
“This is our city. We are L8.”
A statement sent to Your Horse said that three years is enough time for a long-term sustainability plan to be developed for Park Palace Ponies, working with Sport England.
Its aim would be to facilitate a transition away from the stables’ total reliance on grants and fundraising.
Converted cinema
Park Palace Ponies was originally a pop-up starter riding school set up in 2017 in a former theatre and cinema, called Park Palace of Varieties.
In 2022, the stables appealed for help to secure an alternative site in Toxeth.
At that stage, Park Palace Ponies had introduced 3,000 children to riding.
In recent weeks, the riding school has worked with the Liverpool Muslim Outreach Society and Team Oasis.
Its horses have also been taken out to meet the public at Granby Street Market, “further reinforcing its commitment to community cohesion and inclusion”.
Donations to the riding school can be made here.
