An equestrian enthusiast from the Eden area has been honoured by the Veteran Horse Society for the help she has given its members during the coronavirus pandemic.
Philippa Dawson-Coates, from Blencarn, has won numerous awards with her ponies at Cumbrian events and those further afield — including the Veteran Horse Society’s supreme championship in 2017 with Aytounhill Midnight Express — but has been unable to compete this year due to the pandemic and personal circumstances.
Despite this, however, she spent all her spare time helping the society run its shows and area qualifiers through a system of online virtual entries which allowed exhibitors to compete and qualify for the national supreme pony of the year award without running any risk of catching or spreading COVID-19.
The competition has proved a great success, and Philippa has been named the society’s volunteer of the year 2020 for her part in helping to make sure this was the case.
Julianne Aston, the society’s founder, said: “Despite being unable to attend the championships due to personal circumstances,
“Philippa still gave hours of her own time to assist many competitors in competing online and dealing with their qualifying certificates.
“We are delighted to announce that she has been named volunteer of the year 2020. Thank you Philippa for all your hard work.”
