Second-year Equine students at Sparsholt College have raised an impressive £1,061.44 for local charity Imagine This after organising and running a successful evening demonstration and riding clinic with Olympic event rider Vittoria Panizzon.

The fundraising event formed part of the students’ Event Management Unit, where they are required to develop their own event from an initial idea through to delivery, demonstrating their ability to plan, promote and manage an event while making a profit.

With little to no support from staff, the students took responsibility for pitching their idea, pricing tickets, advertising the event and securing raffle prizes, including VIP tickets for Goodwood Racing, Hickstead and the Horse of the Year Show.

The event gave students valuable hands-on experience of managing a live equestrian event, while also allowing them to put their organisational, marketing and business skills into practice.

Having successfully generated a profit, the students decided that they wanted to donate the proceeds to a local charity that could make a genuine difference in the community. They chose Imagine This, a charity supporting children and families through a range of projects and services.

The charity was delighted to receive the donation, with Imagine This Fundraising Representative, Will Scott thanking the students for their generosity. He said: “It’s particularly wonderful to hear that, having worked so hard to organise the event and generate a profit, the students chose to donate the proceeds to a local charity that they felt could make a real difference. We’re incredibly grateful that they chose Imagine This.”

The donation will help Imagine This deliver future projects including Positivity in Motion, Nature Therapy and the Marvellous Family Counselling Service, delivered in partnership with Roald Dahl’s Marvellous Children’s Charity.

Will praised the students for combining their studies with a meaningful contribution to the local community, saying: “It’s fantastic to see young people putting their skills into practice while also making such a meaningful contribution to children and families in our community.”

Hana Wilson, Equine Curriculum Lead and Course Co-ordinator said: “The students’ fundraising success highlights the value of practical, industry-focused learning at Sparsholt, giving them the opportunity to develop real-world event management and business skills while making a positive difference beyond the College. We are so proud of their success.”