Family of disabled woman whose life was transformed by pony make donation to Harborough district riding club

Rosie Loweth, Sally Lane and Sarah Smith at the unveiling

The family of a disabled woman whose life was transformed by a pony have made a donation to a local riding club.

Kate Loweth was left with serious injuries following a car crash and visited Kimberley House Riding for the Disabled (RDA) group in Broughton Astley almost daily.

While there she rode pony Tom Tom, who helped her regain her mobility and confidence.

And after Tom Tom passed away earlier this year the Loweth family donated a container in his memory to store equipment and clothing.

It was unveiled last month by Kate’s sister Rosie and Sally Lane, whose mother led the pony on his daily outings. The event was also attended by 17 current volunteers and former volunteers.

Kimberley House RDA spokeswoman Sarah Smith said: “This is a wonderful resource for us. Having weatherproof, adequate and secure storage is essential to the group's activities. The volunteers now find it much easier to prepare for the sessions and ensure the members have the right clothing and tack for their riding lessons and will enable us to expand the equipment we can use with the group.

“The Loweth family have been very generous and we are delighted to have a lasting memorial for such a special pony."

All members of the Kimberley House Group are aged between 10 and 16 years and attend Ash Field Academy in Leicester, a day and weekly boarding school for around 160 pupils with different disabilities. The riding school is based at Witham Villa Equestrian Centre and up to ten children attend weekly during term time to learn horse riding and care.