The picnic benches at the Mare and Foal Honeysuckle and Upcott Park sanctuaries came to the end of their life and needed replacing.

Instead of buying ‘new’ from an online retailer, Colin, Head of Property, went to LandWorks, which is a local charity on the Dartington Estate and purchased two benches.

Landworks is a wonderful independent charity located on the Darlington Estate.

They provide an incredibly supportive route back into employment and the community for people in prison or at risk of going to prison.

Through activities like woodwork, market gardening, arts and crafts, and landscaping, they help individuals build vital skills, increase self-worth, and foster personal responsibility.

They also offer crucial support with issues like housing, finances, and substance misuse.

Colin shared, “The benches are real solid pieces of furniture, being well made by the team at Landworks and produced really quickly from the point of order. It is so nice to support another local charity and hope we can do so again.

“We're so pleased to support Landworks and contribute to their impactful work in the community.”

The Mare and Foal Sanctuary was founded in 1988 by Rosemary Kind, and registered as a charity in 1992.

Because of Rosemary, more than 1,000 horses, ponies and foals in need have been rescued in the UK and 631 are in our care today.

Rosemary was incredibly touched by the plight of the Dartmoor ponies at that time when so many were being sold for meat each autumn. She desperately wanted to do more and, after much research and a lot of advice from others already in the equine rescue world, she formed the Mare and Foal Sanctuary in 1988 and registered it as a fully-fledged charity in 1992.

Rosemary died peacefully in 2022 but the sanctuary is holding fast to her vision and dedicated to the horses and ponies in their care.