Ambitious plans on course for charity New Beginnings

It’s been a busy summer for the team at retraining and rehoming charity, New Beginnings situated in beautiful surroundings to the east of York.

The calm setting is nonetheless home to an ambitious operation led by Pam and Kevin Atkinson, with the support of a small but committed team. Day-to-day care of 32 former racehorses is the focus of the charity, which was established in 2010, but the joint CEOs have long been aware of the site’s wider potential.

A soon to be completed education block with kitchen facilities will offer a new dimension to New Beginnings, specifically to young people in the community and the wider horseracing industry. Pam and Kevin and their best-known resident, Remy are a familiar sight to racegoers at York. The racecourse nominated Remy as their equine ambassador and he and the charity’s one pony, the delightful Poppy are certainly earning their keep with an impressive outreach programme that already visits hospices; works with the charity Brainkind and welcomes raceday customers at Pontefract and on the Knavesmire.

Plans are firmly fixed for the upcoming National Racecourse Week, when demonstrations from the farrier, physios and vet will be popular parts of the open day on September 14^th that is expected to attract around 130 people.

New Beginnings already operates an open-door policy to those horses needing to return to them from rehomers and a similar wraparound care model underpins the planned pilot scheme to offer an alternative provision for young people aged 14 to 16. The idea is for small groups with a focus on animal and land-based studies to come to the centre to enhance their learning in a calm and natural environment. Pam and Kevin have drawn on the experience of the Pony Academy at Newmarket and spoken with colleagues at sister charity HEROS, as they put together plans that would also engage local schools. It is hoped that a collaboration with Racing to School will also be established.

Strolling around the fields and meeting the ex-racers, it is obvious to see the therapeutic benefits that allow beast and man to regain a sense of self, away from the hustle and bustle of a racing yard regime and the similar guardrails of mainstream education, which has never been a one-size fits all solution for so many young people. The squabbling hen house and curious and affectionate sextet of goats add to this natural backdrop, as do the near-double figure number of cats who of course believe they own the place.

Pam and Kevin at New Beginnings are clearly building upon something transformative  for others to call their own.