A RIDING club for disabled people in the Bradford district has applied for a grant from the Gannett Foundation to take its riders to national championships next year.

The Gannett Foundation is the charitable arm of American media company Gannett, which owns the Telegraph & Argus.

It offers charities and community groups the chance to apply for grants of up to £10,000 to help fund their work, including paying for new equipment, allowing groups to carry out repairs, and to fund trips.

Haworth Riding for the Disabled has applied to the foundation for a grant to help take some of its riders to the national Special Olympics competition being held in Sheffield in August 2017.

CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD AN APPLICATION FORM

The money will cover transport for athletes and horses, accommodation, entry fees, and care for the athletes while they are at the competition.

The club, based at Vale Mill Lane Stables in Crossroads, is aiming to take 12 riders to the games in Sheffield, where a successful campaign could lead to selection for the Special Olympic World Games in 2019.

Jane Lawrence, a fundraiser at Haworth RDA, said the Gannett grant would be “invaluable” for the club.

She said: “We have to raise all the money ourselves along with fundraising to keep the group going, so getting the grant would mean we have one less thing to worry about so we can put more focus on riding.

“Our riders have intellectual disabilities, and some also have physical disabilities too.

“We certainly have riders with the talent to be successful in Sheffield and make the national team for the world games.

“Some of our riders’ training is now fully geared towards the nationals, they are no different to normal Olympians or Paralympians in that respect.

“We recently had three riders win best overall score in their categories, and at the last nationals we had a rider narrowly miss out on selection for the World Games

“We are looking forward to going to the games in August.”

l If you are involved with a charity or community group that could benefit from a Gannett Foundation grant, visit telegraphandargus.co.uk to download an application form.

The deadline for entries is Friday, October 14, and completed applications should be emailed to elaine.wilson@telegraphandargus.co.uk.