Founder of Leg up Trust Ros Rowe with Tiny Tim, one of only three remaining original founding members. The trust is closing shop after 20 years. Photo / Warren Buckland
Founder of Leg up Trust Ros Rowe with Tiny Tim, one of only three remaining original founding members. The trust is closing shop after 20 years. Photo / Warren Buckland
The Leg Up Trust charity will be closing up after 20 years of service to the community.
Leg Up uses horses to support young people with behavioural issues, victims of abuse and neglect and learning difficulties.
The decision comes three months after new co-ordinator Jessie McLean took up the reinsfrom founder Ros Rowe.
Rowe said McLean unfortunately had to resign from the role following a serious health diagnosis.
"After my retirement our new co-ordinator took on the role with great enthusiasm, only to be diagnosed with a serious illness that necessitated her resignation," she said in an email announcement.
She said some schools being unable to return following Covid restrictions had also contributed to the closure.
"Before Covid we were doing 11 classes a week plus the individual kids, we were just flat out," Rowe said.
"There were about 100 kids coming through a week. That all just died away with Covid and it hasn't gotten back up to those numbers."
She said in an email at the start of the week that children currently going would still be able to attend for a few more weeks.
"The children will continue to attend for a few weeks in order to come to terms with the loss of their 'happy place'.
Leg Up Trust founder Ros Rowe with Legacy and former co-ordinator Jessie McLean with Chester. Photo / NZME
"We wish to thank everyone for their love, support and encouragement for the 20 years Leg-Up has served the community."
She said she was happy with what the trust had been able to achieve.
"When the dust settles and I look back, I will remember the kids. I'm in to the second generation of kids, I've got kids whose mothers came."
She said she has had an "avalanche" of emails since she announced the trust was coming to an end, but the time had come to end the service.
"Everything has its season and Leg Up has had its season."
She said it was early but there was a possibility that some very needy kids would be able to come once or twice a week to the premises in a more private capacity down the line.
"It won't be under Leg Up's umbrella, it would just a way of reaching out to some of the neediest kids.
"This place was always intended to be a place of refuge for people and there is a lot of people out there who just need a little bit of extra support."
She said her biggest concern was the horses and she estimates she will have to keep six or seven.
"Some of them are too old to be moved on. The ones that can be rehomed will be."
One of the horses she will be keeping is Tiny Tim, one of only three remaining original founding members, who is nearly 30 years old.
She said the horses were the "true heroes" of Leg Up Trust.
"They're the faithful ones, they just give and give and give. They've been here far longer than the human helpers, they've given years and years of service."
