Fundraising focus at Aston Le Walls

By now you know that we are big fans of Aston Le Walls: the team, the facilities, the fact that it is 5 minutes from GPHQ and who wouldn’t be with all that on the door step.

We spent a fun afternoon there checking up on our banners, walking the courses and catching up Tom, Anne and Nigel as they prepared for the days ahead.  

It’s a big weekend for the team with fundraising at the forefront of everyone’s minds right now.

As some of the 900 riders entered in the Novice, Intermediate and Advanced classes started to arrive, tractors pulling an assortment of machinery worked non-stop, and will continue through the next few nights, to get the ground comfortable for the horses. Nigel and his team have worked their socks off by topping the outside of the tracks and leaving the tracks long, fertilising them, slitting and then aerovating them.

All 3 tracks are fair with enough questions relevant for each level, Tom Jones told us as he finished flagging the fences. Tom, who has helped organise the Charity Rounders Match, with Alice Rocher, from Dassett Eventing, which takes place on Friday night, told us about the other ways that Washbrook Farm will be fundraising this weekend.  There will be bucket collections and donations at the rounders match for a charity close to everyone hearts at Washbrook, Spinal Research UK and the Air Ambulance. There will also be a Guess the Sweets in the Jar competition. Live music on Friday from SJ Mortimer and Sebastian Tree on Saturday will make for a fun atmosphere for all to enjoy. 

The charity theme continues wherever you look: Henry Taylor is selling his specially wrapped pink haylage supporting Cancer Research and Dassett Eventing will be selling (suggested £1 donation) their Fuzzy Bugs, with all proceeds going to 2 charities: one close to Kate Rocher-Smith’s family, MPN Voice, as Kate’s aunt, Sheena Hawkin, who is a keen supporter of eventing has a type of blood cancer and Ben Hobday has chosen the other one, which is the Sir Bobby Robson Foundation.

So you have been warned – please dig deep this weekend and support these inspiring fundraising efforts for brilliant causes.  Plus we’ve delivered some refreshments for the rounders teams so make sure you stay for the fun.

This year the Intermediate and Advanced dressage will take place on the incredible new Horsezone.co.uk arena, constructed by Bruce Clark and his team at Elmtree Equestrian – it will be the first time the new arena is used for a BE event.  With over 270 Advanced horses entered, Ann Taylor told us that the 8/9 Year Old Advanced Class is great preparation for the CIC 3* at Blenheim.

The KBIS arena will be where you can watch the warm-up for the showjumping and the Advanced riders warm up for their dressage and the showjumping competition remains in the Duralock arena.

With many of the big names competing and Spencer Sturmey, Clare Prentice, Nicole Stokoe and Mark Burge in the commentary box, you can be sure of a fantastic weekend of action.  See you there!