From making the headlines to news from the Park Lane family, read all about it here
Park Lane Stables cited in MP’s tribute to Queen Elizabeth II
Our local MP Munira Wilson paid tribute to Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II in the House of Commons – and we were honoured that our own recent experience of the Queen’s generosity was one of the three local stories shared by Munira in her moving speech.
What have we been up to this summer?
Some weeks we’re so absorbed welcoming new faces and old friends to Park Lane Stables that we almost forget to come up for air. But if you ever wonder what we get up to, here’s a quick review of summer highlights.
Annie and her special legacy
Annie was a pony mad little girl, a proud member of Park Lane Stables’ Pony Club whose Dad regularly brought her to ride by tram, train and bus all the way from Croydon. The 10 year old’s positive attitude to life cheered up anybody around her who needed it
Introducing our architect, and a glimpse of our future in Teddington
Park Lane Stables is all about people, and when we met architect Sam Kamleh we could tell she was the right person to work with us on renovating our Teddington home.
From the very first moment I sat on a pony, I was hooked. I knew there and then that in the saddle was the place I was meant to be.
How did a little girl growing up in Birmingham with no connection with horses develop a lifelong passion that was to set her on an unswerving path through life? Read how it all started, in this short extract from the beginning of Only Heroes and Horses.
Peaches, RDA star pony – under open skies
Before Peaches came to live with us she was at another RDA Centre. Then I got a call from a friend there who said Peaches was not happy, and they thought she may prefer to live with us. How right they were!
Every charity 10k run should feature a pony
We were running to raise funds to help keep our hard-working therapy ponies in fine fettle with regular hoof care. So how better to do this than by dusting down our own hooves and pounding the paths around Petersham?
Did you see Natalie on the BBC Breakfast sofa?
Natalie was interviewed live in the BBC studio on the morning that Only Heroes and Horses was published.
Park Lane Stables volunteers recognised with a life-time Queen’s Award for Voluntary Service
In the week of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth’s Jubilee celebrations it’s been announced that the team of volunteers behind Park Lane Stables in Teddington has been recognised with a Queen’s Award for Voluntary Service (QAVS).
Only Heroes and Horses is galloping towards a bookshop near you!
Only Heroes and Horses, the story of Park Lane Stables, publishes on 26 May and we’re getting very excited! Find out how Natalie ‘an ordinary girl from Birmingham’ ended up running one of London’s few urban stables, about her tenacity in ensuring its survival, and about the biggest challenge of all in 2021 – raise £1million or face eviction.
You’re invited to our Summer Fete in Petersham
We will be celebrating Her Majesty the Queen’s Jubilee and also taking the opportunity to say a BIG THANK YOU to everyone who supports us.
Natalie reveals plans for Park Lane Stables’ future
Not long ago we didn’t have a future. Now, with the trust placed in us by all who supported us, we’ve been given not just the ability to buy our home, but to plan ahead with confidence.
We’re winners in the 2021 Carriage Driving Awards!
Carriage driving is such an important part of what we do, and on 27 March we were named Driving for the Disabled Group of the Year in the 2021 Carriage Driving Awards.
It’s been a record-breaking five months
Much of our recent focus has been on the process of securing the Park Lane site, but we thought it was time we gave you an insight into what we’ve been up to daily and weekly, during the busiest few months we’ve ever had.
Proud to be part of the Princess Royal Coach Academy
Last November HRH The Princess Royal, President of the Riding for the Disabled Association, gave her name to a new national Coaching Academy, 50 years after becoming the RDA’s patron.
“This story would make a good book”, you said. And here it is.
Natalie O’Rourke’s determination to save Park Lane Stables last year attracted an army of supporters, caught the attention of a nation, and led to spectacular success. Now you can read her story in a new book called Only Heroes and Horses: the heartwarming true story of Park Lane Stables.
The history of the stables on Park Lane in Teddington
As we start planning the refurbishment of Park Lane Stables, which dates from at least 1830, we’ve been delving into its history.
Bushy Park dates back to 1514, when it was enclosed by Cardinal Wolsey out of the old sheep pastures of Hounslow Heath…
Horse Listening videos: on our own YouTube channel
We now have our own YouTube channel, where you’ll find videos from the last couple of years, including some of the national TV coverage – and this one, newly added: Horse Listening: Bringing a horse in from the field.
BBC Breakfast interview Natalie about becoming an MBE
The BBC’s Fiona Lamdin returned to Teddington on New Year’s Day to capture the moment when Natalie explained to family and volunteers that she’d had a letter from the Queen…
From rock bottom to MBE: a year in the life of Park Lane Stables’ Natalie O’Rourke
Life’s journeys are often described as rollercoasters, but Natalie’s 2021 redefines the term. On the day that she is awarded an MBE in the New Year’s Honours list we look back at a tumultuous year.