The British Eventing Support Trust’s Winter Ball, which took place on Saturday 30 November at the Savoy Hotel in London, proved to be its most successful event ever after it raised £254,965.
The money was generated through ticket sales, a live auction during the evening, a silent auction and a raffle as well as donations from guests. The event was attended by many well-known faces from the horse world such as Zara Tindall, Alice Plunkett, William Fox-Pitt, Kristina Cook, Nicola Wilson and Ian Stark (all pictured above).
The funds raised will allow the British Eventing Support Trust to provide physical, mental health and financial support to British Eventing (BE) members following an accident or through difficult times. The charity also offers support to research involving safety within the sport of eventing.
“I cannot thank everyone enough for their support at the Winter Ball. What a brilliant night of entertainment, fundraising and raising awareness,” said Lexi Hambro, chair of the Winter Ball committee and BE Support Trust trustee.
“The highlight of the evening was listening to the very inspirational Saffron Cresswell speak to Nicola Wilson, about her rehabilitation journey, after her fall earlier this year. What a driven young lady Saffron is and we continue to send positive thoughts to her in her rehabilitation journey.”
Cycle4Caroline concludes
The Winter Ball also marked the end of the Cycle4Caroline challenge which saw nine riders, including Badminton and Burghley champion Piggy March, her husband Tom and several other members of the equestrian community, complete a 1,100km cycle ride from Blair Castle in Scotland to the Savoy Hotel in Central London.
The riders battled treacherous weather conditions to traverse the length of the country in 11-days and raise money for Spinal Research and the BE Support Trust. Special guests such as Joe Stockdale, William Fox-Pitt and Zara Tindall joined them on various legs throughout the event.
The challenge was in memory of Caroline March, Tom’s sister, who died by assisted suicide in March 2024 after being paralysed in an eventing fall in 2022. At the time of writing the challenge had raised over £300,000.
Main image photo credit: Julian Portch
