Being inspired at The Houses of Parliament

Four years ago when we were trying to raise £1million in a few weeks, we worked with Crowdfunder, and somehow between our amazing team and them, we succeeded. In fact we overshot our target by £300,000!

It’s always been important to me that Park Lane Stables is an integral part of the community, and that nobody is prevented from accessing our services by a mental or physical disability. Nothing proved the power of a community more than the campaign that saved us back in February 2021. The new community we reached was no longer limited by geography but brought together from far and wide by shared values. They cried with us when they heard about our situation, and they reached into their pockets to help save us. And they succeeded.

Four years on, Crowdfunder has teamed up with Sport England for a project called ‘Shaping the future of community sport’. And on 5 May an event at the Houses of Parliament celebrated the initiative, with speakers including politicians and individuals who had worked with Crowdfunder on community projects. And one of those speakers was me!

It was such an inspiring event. Part of me still can’t believe what we achieved four years ago. But here were stories from other people passionate about their causes, all of whom are making such a positive contribution to their communities. I think we all left with an extra spring in our step, determined to make a difference ourselves, and to encourage others that aiming high can sometimes mean achieving something amazing.

At the start of our own campaign back in 2021 I was driven on by the fact that the stark reality was ‘raise £1million or lose the Stables for ever’, but I couldn’t believe we’d succeed. It’s a privilege now to help other charities believe in their goals by sharing what we learned back then.

Read more (and watch the video of the event) about Crowdfunder’s Shaping the future of community sport

If you’re not familiar with the story that unfolded in 2021, watch the 15 minute account that was on BBC Breakfast the day after we reached our target and knew we’d saved the stables. Warning, it’s emotional (but in a good way)

The campaign meant we now own the building in Teddington, but we still rely on donations to provide the services that we do. If you feel able to help, head across to our Donations page to find out more.