In August, Busy Bees employees and their families took part in a sponsored horse ride around Derbyshire and Leicestershire to raise money for The Cystic Fibrosis Trust.

Around twenty staff and their family members met at the Cavendish Bridge Equestrian and Pony Club set in the picturesque village of Shardlow. The Centre specialises in producing show ponies, as well as training adults and children to become competition riders. The event aimed to show the fun side of horse riding, and to give families the opportunity to get involved in the sport, as some ventured out on a horse for the first time!

The party set off, riding along the Trent and Mersey Canal to Shardlow and Castle Donington, enjoying the beautiful sights of Derbyshire and Leicestershire, including the Shardlow Marina, the parish church of St. Edward King and Martyr, and the many various species of wildlife along the route.

After lunch, the riders enjoyed a team competition, with pony club games, races and mini jumps for the more experienced riders, before receiving their rosettes and awards for taking part.

It total, the day raised over £500 for The Cystic Fibrosis Trust.

The Cystic Fibrosis Trust is Busy Bees sponsored charity for 2009. Busy Bees, Leapfrog and TLC Day Nurseries across the UK have been raising money for the charity by holding a variety of activities throughout 2009. Cystic Fibrosis is the UK’s most common life-threatening inherited disease, with 80,000 people in the UK living with CF today. Every week 5 babies are born with Cystic Fibrosis and 3 young lives are lost.

Marg Randles, rider on the day and Operations Director at Busy Bees, said: “The day was fantastic. The Centre’s owner, Mrs Webster, kindly agreed to allow us to use her home and business as the venue for the fundraiser, and couldn’t have been more welcoming. The horses were great, especially with the younger riders.

The Cystic Fibrosis Trust does a lot of great work and we hope the money we have raised will go some way to helping people who suffer with Cystic Fibrosis. Busy Bees Nurseries will go on with our efforts throughout the year, continuing to fundraise for the charity.”