Riding School Expands with Growth Hub Help

Liz White took over the ownership of the established Moor Farm Stables Equestrian Centre in Wall Hill Road, Corley Moor, Coventry, in 1991.

The business has 70 horses and ponies along with small animals and is approved by The British Horse Society, The Association of British Riding Schools, The Riding for the Disabled Association, The Pony Club and The British Equestrian Federation.

Hundreds of people aged from three to 76 attend lessons every week along with students who train in career courses from schools throughout the area and the stables also host birthday parties, summer camps, fun days in the school holidays and adult camps.

Moor Farm Stables Equestrian Centre has always trained staff and has a continual professional development for all staff, this expertise is passed on to its clients and enables all riding and stable management tuition to be of an excellent standard.

Liz heard about the CWLEP Growth Hub through word of mouth and spoke to account manager Jaymie Thakordas, who put her in touch with Anne-Marie Tranter at Coventry and Warwickshire Skills 4 Growth.

She was able to secure funding from the Skills 4 Growth programme, which is funded by the European Social Fund and managed by Coventry City Council, because it supports SMEs in Coventry and Warwickshire in advanced manufacturing, engineering or service sector industries to improve skills among their workforce by gaining accredited qualifications

Four members of staff at Moor Farm Stables Equestrian Centre – Emily Beaty, Krystina Ford, Owen Price and Toni Chambers – have completed their UK Coaching Certificate at Level 2.

Liz said: “Riding can be important for physical health and well-being, it is a great form of exercise, burning over 400 calories every hour.

“It is excellent for posture, fitness, core strength, balance and dexterity because in every minute of riding there are over 2,000 physical adjustments to make.

“Horses are used in therapy for improvement in mental health and well-being, and we work with schools whose pupils are disengaged because the horses inspire learning such as Maths and English by calculating how much feed you need to look after a horse each week.

“It is important for any rural business to look at other ways of growing their business and by continually improving the training of our staff, we will be able to offer more courses to new audiences.

“The support of the CWLEP and Skills 4 Growth programme has been invaluable because it is vital we keep staff up to date and trained to the highest possible standards.”

Jaymie Thakordas, of the CWLEP Growth Hub, said helping Moor Farm Stables Equestrian Centre to access funding was only one element of the business support available from the organisation.

She said: “We are here to offer support, advice and mentoring for businesses of all sizes and in all sectors to grow.

“The Skills 4 Growth initiative has improved the skills of the team at Moor Farm to assist them to deliver high-quality riding lessons to different sections of the community.

“Over the last five decades the business has grown considerably and has diversified into different markets and Liz and her team are continuing to expand to ensure its future success.”

The Growth Hub

The CWLEP Growth Hub was established by the Coventry and Warwickshire Local Enterprise Partnership to provide a one-stop shop to help make businesses aware of the advice and support available to them.

The Growth Hub pro-actively helps businesses grow by providing access to private sector professionals with commercial experience in a whole host of fields including marketing, finance, IT, training and logistics.

The Growth Hub has experts in various fields to help companies access grants and funding to diversify or expand by providing introductions to a range of services and support from other organisations across the region.

The Growth Hub offers help with:

Access to finance
Business Innovation
Business Support
International Trade Advisers
Skills4Growth
Inward Investment
Planning
Supply chain opportunities

Partners involved include the Coventry and Warwickshire Chamber of Commerce, UKTI, Local Authorities across the sub-region, Coventry University and the University of Warwick.

For further information, email or telephone 0300 060 3747.

Caption: From the left, Moor Farm Stables Equestrian Centre’s Toni Chambers, Emily Beaty on board Vondel, Liz White, Jaymie Thakordas (CWLEP Growth Hub), Owen Price and Krystina Ford with horse Sam

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Client testimonials

Without the Growth Hubs help and assistance, we would never have been able to increase our sales & output and also grow our local business. With this help in purchasing new equipment we have expanded our operations and gained a new and increased customer base.

Nuneaton Roof Truss,

Over the past few years, Armstrongs has built up a fantastic relationship with Gary Thyeson from the Growth Hub. His advice on grants and funding has been really valuable to both Armstrongs and some of our clients. His knowledge of local business support has been helpful in signposting us to relevant support agencies as required. We look forward to working with Laura Delahunty moving forwards.

Armstrongs Accountancy LTD,

In the short time since first engaging with the Warwickshire Growth Hub we feel that Laura has understood our vision and has been so very supportive in linking us to the specialist teams who are now supporting us with training, finance and recruitment. A great service that every growing organisation should connect with

MES Systems Limited,

I have had an excellent experience working with Laura from the Growth Hub, from day one, she was taking detailed attention to my concerns and ideas. She was able to put me in contact with different organisations and people to find out answers to my questions and help me to solve some inquiries I was having. I feel this support definitely had a positive impact in my plans.

PALACIOS LTD,

It’s been a fantastic inaugural eight months for the TalentTech Recruitment team and, although the reality of setting up and running a company can be a somewhat daunting experience, we have been extremely grateful for the superb help, advice and guidance given to us along our journey by Gavin Barnett and the team at CW Growth Hub. Gavin’s introductions to both Warwick & Coventry Universities and his wider business network have been absolutely invaluable.

TalentTech Recruitment LTD,

For many individuals out there, it is very hard to figure out ways and know which direction to go when it comes to setting up a business. The challenges of taking your idea and bringing it to life and not knowing where to go and who to speak to for advice. it can get very frustrating..

King of Saffron LTD,

This grant [which we received with the help of the Growth Hub and Coventry City Council] will really help us get on track for business growth and succeed with our vision. Personally, I would also like to thank the team for supporting me through the grant application process. You have been very approachable and attentive throughout.

Exeter Analytical (UK) Limited,

Thank you for the comprehensive and professional guidance

Burbidge & Son Ltd,

Over the years since the Growth Hub was set up we have habitually gone to our Account Manager as a one-stop shop for all business-related information. It has been a really convenient way of finding suppliers, advisors and, on one occasion, we even asked for assistance with finding customers. We are invited to a wide range of business events including business development workshops, Brexit roundtable discussions, seminars on various topics and have also been asked to speak at some events. When we have needed additional information, for example, finding finance sources or help with selecti

Marchantcain Design Limited,

Thanks to CW Growth hub getting us access to grant funding we have been able to invest in the latest computer monitoring system, which will enable us to compete with the national companies within our industry.

Comrie Leisure Limited,