Thanet Disabled Riding Centre (TDRC) founder Nora Setterfield MBE has celebrated an extraordinary milestone—50 years of dedicated service to the community.
Nora’s commitment has been honoured with two prestigious awards: the Thanet Community Champions Dedication and Service Award and the Thanet Community Champion of Champions Award, recognising her unwavering commitment and transformative impact over five decades.
The awards ceremony, held at The Pavilion in Broadstairs in March, brought together representatives from Thanet’s voluntary and community sectors.
Nora’s work through TDRC has empowered countless individuals with disabilities, offering therapeutic riding sessions that enhance both physical and emotional well-being. Her tireless efforts have made a lasting difference in the lives of many across Thanet.
TDRC was established in 1974 on a small yard in Thanet and was taken over by Nora Setterfield and Rowena Young in 1975 due to a threat of the centre closing down. This led to Nora and Rowena having to find another plot of land to restart the charity.
They came across a riding school called Bromstone. This allowed the centre to use the riding school ponies, but the riding school closed down a few years later. So the hunt was on to find another home. They soon found a plot of land in Fairfield. Due to a lack of stables and an influx of riders, a pony bed and breakfast was created.
This is where owners would allow the centre to keep their ponies every weekend, where they would be stabled and fed, in return for riding use.
The council decided to sell the land for development, so Nora and Rowena had to yet again move the centre. They were lucky to have supportive councillors who waited until they were settled in a new home to sell the land.
Nora and Rowena next found a quiet plot of land in the grounds of Maurice house (the Royal British Legion) in 1985.
The pair had a massive task on their hands to clear the trees and level the ground to make a safe home for the centres ponies. With the help of the community six pony-sized stables were constructed, a tack room/tea room and a feed room were installed.
The riding centre has now been at its current site at Maurice House in Broadstairs for 40 years. It is entirely self-funded and relies on donations from groups and individuals to cover the running costs.
Nora, 85, received an MBE in 2013 for her dedication to the centre which helps children and adults who suffer from disabilities by providing riding lessons or just time with the horses and other visitors.
In 2023 the centre won £63,880 of National Lottery funding after the public vote polled them as one of three winners for the region in The People’s Projects, run with ITV. The funding helped Nora and the team to continue providing riding and therapy sessions to Thanet’s disabled community benefitting them physically, mentally and socially.
The extra financial security also made it possible to add a new pony to the equine team to help reduce the long waiting lists and benefit more people.
There are some 48 students each week as well as a number of children with special needs who help at the stables with the volunteers.
To mark the 50 years the volunteers at the riding centre threw a surprise party for Nora.
Nora thanked everyone for her flowers and other gifts as well as those who donated on the day.
She said she had a lovely day and was stunned by the amazing amount of support from everyone over the years.
Find Thanet Disabled Riding Centre on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/thanetdisabledridingcentre
Thank you Nora .
Years of common sense and kindness .
Helping so many people .
It was a wonderful event to celebrate Nora’s 50 years and the great work done at the Thanet Disabled Riding Centre.