Winning the award of Carriage Driving for the Disabled Group of the Year was an overwhelming and thrilling experience for Cherry Park Driving Group. As a small group we have faced many challenges over the past five years, being reduced to one pony and a handful of dedicated volunteers, and having to move our venue on two occasions. Despite that, 2019 proved to be very successful both in terms of “keeping our show on the road” and winning the Championship at the RDA National Championships in July with our star disabled driver. To have our efforts acknowledged by those responsible for the Carriage Driving Awards was satisfying, morale-boosting and motivating, not to mention humbling in the face of our equally deserving peers.
All those connected to Cherry Park have been proud and delighted for us and we hope that the profile raised will be beneficial for the future of the Group.
The ceremony at the Birmingham Botanical Gardens gave us the chance to mingle with the best in the carriage driving world. Apart from the award giving, my favourite part of the evening was watching the rolling slide show of the many and varied aspects of carriage driving.
At present, our award and certificate are under the care of me as Chairman of the Group but will be displayed at our Annual General Meeting and thereafter in a prominent place every week at our venue. For me they are a reminder of a splendid evening and the culmination of an amazing year.
(written before the Corona virus crisis).
