GENEROUS supporters of the rare Suffolk Punch horse have rallied round and raised £25,000 towards an appeal to help improve facilities at the stud fighting to safeguard the breed's future.

Richard Smith

GENEROUS supporters of the rare Suffolk Punch horse have rallied round and raised £25,000 towards an appeal to help improve facilities at the stud fighting to safeguard the breed's future.

In less than two months readers of the East Anglian Daily Times have donated half the amount required to show the public's support for ambitious plans at Hollesley, near Woodbridge.

The Suffolk Punch Trust want to build an educational and administrative centre to give visitors access to the rare horses and the surrounding countryside.

The appeal, backed by the EADT, aims to raise £50,000 to help the group in its bid to find donations from grant-making organisations to fund the scheme.

The venture will cost £1million and the stud's project manager, John Marsh, is urging the public to continue to support the campaign.

“The Suffolk Punch Trust is indebted to the readers of the East Anglian Daily Times for their fantastic support in raising £25,000 and would like to thank them for this,” he said. “The Trust raised the money to purchase the stud of Suffolk horses, the 200-acre farm and its equipment and the flock of Suffolk sheep two years ago and since that time it has covered its farm and stud operating costs.

“It has seen organised visits from children from London inner city schools to introduce them to the countryside and from many groups of adults.

“The Trust needs to continue to raise money to build an educational and administrative centre, which would then enable it to be open to the public - giving visitors access to the horses and the surrounding countryside and securing the long term future of the stud.

“The money raised with the great support of the EADT readers will go towards achieving that goal.”

The Trust decided to raise the £50,000 because the Heritage Lottery Fund previously refused an application for a grant.

Mr Marsh continued: “The aim of the Trust is primarily an educational one - to teach children and adults about all aspects of the countryside and these include the domestic animals and plants of Suffolk, the history of agriculture, its present and future and the skills of those who work in it.

“The 200-acre farm is being put down to permanent grass with hedges and this environment will attract particular groups of plants and wildlife.

“As part of the whole picture the Trust already owns a substantial stud of Suffolk horses which are being bred, but which are also being broken in to work.

“It also has the oldest registered flock of Suffolk sheep in the world and will add to these Red Poll cattle, Large Black pigs, Ixworth fowls and Silver Appleyard ducks.

“In addition a garden will contain horticultural varieties of plants which were all bred in Suffolk. This package will offer a fantastic resource for education in a wide variety of subjects.”