A five-year recovery plan is underway to secure the future of Middlesbrough’s Riding for the Disabled Unicorn Centre, which faced closure due to rising operational costs amid the cost-of-living crisis. The Centre, operating since 1998 in Hemlington, offers disabled individuals therapeutic horse riding and related activities, relying entirely on fundraising, donations, and grants. The plan includes launching a Friends of the Unicorn Facebook group, encouraging local fundraising, increasing transparency on donation use, and establishing a clear financial strategy. The national Riding for the Disabled Association has also committed six months of financial support.

Interim Operations Manager Kim Upton emphasized the Centre’s vital role in the community and called for local leadership, volunteers, and trustees with business or fundraising expertise to help sustain it. Despite a waiting list for lessons, the Centre struggles with increased costs for feed, care, and utilities. An advisory group and trustee recruitment are being organized, alongside fundraising efforts through donations and events, to ensure the Unicorn Centre continues providing its valuable services to disabled children and adults in the region.