Cobbes Meadow RDA win Innovation Award
Canterbury's nominated charity Cobbes Meadow Riding for the Disabled were presented with an award for the most innovative idea in 2016. Sam Smedley, who is a volunteer on Fridays, has designed and built a set of steps to help drivers get into the carriages safely. Sam was presented with his award at the RDA Gala Dinner, in London, by Claire Balding.
It is not particularly easy to get in a carriage, even when you are able bodied, so it can be very challenging for a disabled person. Sam's wife has mobility problems and found getting up into the carriage very difficult, So Sam came up with the idea of a set of mobile steps, that can be wheeled on pretty much any surface and then locked into position. The steps are solid, with a rail on each side. It is easy to stand on either side of them and assist the disabled person to climb them and then cross over into the carriage. They are very stable and can be wheeled right up to the carriage, so there is no 'mind the gap'! They are relatively lightweight and we have been able to take them with us when our drivers have competed away from home, so now no one gets left behind because they cannot get into the carriage when its away from Cobbes Meadow!