‘School friend’ supports charity pony & trap adventure!

Support for fund raising for Royal Papworth Hospital to say thank you for the ‘gift of life’

When Stephen Foster set out with his pony Cherry, and trap, on a charity drive from Stratford St Andrew, in Suffolk, to Appleby Fair in Appleby-in-Westmorland, Cumbria, he knew that he was up for a challenge!

His plan is to take 14 days – camping by the roadside – to travel the 300 miles to join the Appleby Horse Fair which attracts over 10,000 members of the Gypsy and Travellers community and over
30,000 visitors each year.  The aim is to raise £1,000 on the journey which will conclude with his visit to the Appleby Horse Fair.

Stephen’s overall aim is to raise as much money as possible for the Royal Papworth Hospital NHS Foundation Trust that helped to save his life 11 years ago when he underwent surgery for a heart bypass.

In recent years, he has set up a business, Alde Driving, in the Suffolk countryside that offers horse drawn carriage rides and tours.  He operates during the summer months at Thorpeness
offering tours of the village and trips to Aldeburgh.

He has also supported Stonham Barns Park with his horse drawn carriage driving services. and in return the General Manager there, Janice Rowles, who is also his longstanding school friend,
went to King’s Lynn to support him on his challenge, with Owner Alan Forward.

Says Janice, who has kept in contact with Stephen Foster over the years through their love of horses, said; ‘It’s such a lovely gesture from Stephen to make this journey to raise money for the
Royal Papworth Hospital.  It is summer but the conditions are still tough.  Stephen and Cherry have battled with traffic and rain to get this far, and they still have a way to go to get to Cumbria.
We urge everyone to support them in their fund-raising quest!’

‘We wanted to come to meet him on his journey to show our support – as he has supported us as a business many times in the past.  It was humbling to see how basic his life is on the road for the 14 days.
But it goes without saying Cherry is getting excellent care along the way, and a lot of adoration.  And she will be home soon with Stephen to look forward to shorter rides out with his grandson!’

Fortunately, after the 300-mile journey, both Stephen and Cherry will be getting transported back to Suffolk.

You can donate to their JustGiving page by clicking here: https://www.justgiving.com/fundraising/cherrys-drive?utm_source=Sharethis&utm_medium=fundraising&utm_content=cherrys-drive&utm_campaign=pfp-email&utm_term=00b1b5b81a034377824f2f451b0f0dec.