Royal recognition for Park Lane Stables

Congratulations to Park Lane Stables owner Natalie O’Rourke who has been recognised with an MBE in the 2021 New Year’s Honours list!

Our relationship with Park Lane Stables in Teddington goes back a long way and you may have even seen the wheelchair-accessible carriage we commissioned  for their disabled riders.   We’ve long remained a supporter of everything Natalie and her team do for Riding for the Disabled (RDA) in the community, so it is truly heartwarming to see her drive and determination rewarded.

No easy ride

Anyone who has been following the recent news will know that Natalie’s journey has not been easy over the last year.   On New Year’s eve 2020, she received the news from the landlord, that their premises were up for sale.  Park Lane Stables needed to raise £1million by the end of February to purchase the property.  Natalie immediately set to achieve what seemed an impossible feat with a fundraising campaign.  Touched by the stable’s plight, the local community and volunteers raised over £200,000, but time was running out fast. Then Park Lane’s story went national with an appearance from local celebrity supporter Rob Brydon on ITV’s Good Morning Britain, pushing the total to just over £500,000 with one week to go, and when BBC Breakfast covered the story, more donations flooded in.  By the 25 February deadline,  32,000 people had donated a staggering £1.3million!

Incredibly, that was not the end of the story and Natalie was forced to close the stables in May.  They were able to use temporary accommodation in Petersham offered generously by the owner of Manor Farm Stables, which allowed their RDA activities to continue.  The difficult negotiations continued, but Park Lane Stable’s incredible work didn’t stop and in September 2021, they were awarded Best Health Charity in The Sun’s Who Cares Wins awards.

Park Lane Stables comes home

Finally after months of twists and turns, Natalie’s resilience and persistence paid off.  In October the sale of the Teddington premises was agreed , and in December the sale was completed. Park Lane Stables had secured their permanent home – for good.

In a final fairytale ending, Natalie then received a letter in the post informing her that she was being awarded an MBE in the New Year’s Honours list ‘For services to disabled people and the community in Teddington’.

“This award is really for all of us, for the invisible army behind me who’ve never faltered in their belief in what we could achieve”  Natalie O’Rourke, MBE

Well done Natalie, you are an inspiration to us all!

At H&L Motors, we’d like to thank all our customers and friends who have followed and shared this emotional story, and / or who have contributed to the stables. If you would like to learn more about what they do to support people with disabilities or additional needs, please see their website, sign up for their newsletter or follow them on social media. And if you are able to consider a donation, every penny helps them to continue to provide services for the people who rely on them.

With best wishes from the H&L team