A woman from Keighley organised the family friendly day in memory of her Dad, raising £200 for Sue Ryder which runs Sue Ryder Manorlands Hospice in Oxenhope.
On Sunday 6th August the 5th annual ‘Sharkey Lowther’ Horse Drive event took place. Starting in Silsden over 31 horse and carts clip clopped their way to Ilkley for a welcome dip it the river and a picnic feast.
Sarah Lowther, Sharkey’s daughter sees the day as a way of honouring her Dad’s memory celebrating her Traveller heritage and to raise money for charity. Sarah explains why Sue Ryder is her charity of choice: “I had a cousin who went into Sue Ryder Manorlands Hospice and I’ve lived in Keighley most of my life so I thought it was nice to support a charity close to home.”
Sarah has been running the Horse Drive for several years and the event has quickly become a firm favourite in the calendar, as Sarah notes: “I went to Appleby Fair in June and people were stopping me to ask me about if I was doing my drive this year. It’s known as an annual event within the Gypsy and Traveller community!”
There was plenty of support locally as well, with several businesses donating items for a raffle: “I am so grateful to Wilsden animal feed, Hargreaves saddlery, Sheena Beaumont’s Yard and Whitakers animal feed, for their generosity, which meant we could raise even more money for Sue Ryder this year” Sarah shares. She also worked hard to make sure things ran as smoothly as possible on the day, working closely with local police: “They have been absolutely fantastic, they met me at start, stopped the traffic for me, so all the horse and carts could get through together.”
Horses have always been a huge part of Sarah’s life, a tradition she is keen to continue: “I try to keep to the horse-loving heritage going for my side of the family. What I learnt from my Dad I tried to teach to my son, and he loves it. I wish that my Dad could see it. My Granddaughter is horse mad too!”
Adam Brunskill, Community Fundraiser at Sue Ryder Manorlands Hospice said: “Sarah’s enthusiasm and planning really paid off with another successful Horse Drive event. We are so grateful that she has chosen to use this event to raise money for Sue Ryder. The funds raised will enable us to continue to provide expert and compassionate palliative care to people living with life-limiting conditions.”
For more information about Sue Ryder Manorlands Hospice, visit: sueryder.org/manorlands.
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