Horse Power – Southend Metro Bank colleagues support local animal sanctuary

Colleagues from the UK’s community bank, Southend Metro Bank, recently volunteered at the Essex Horse & Pony Protection Society.

Southend Metro Bank’s local business manager Abigail Shepherd not only donated excess tack and horse rugs to the charity that her horse Marley no longer needed, but organised her colleagues to spend a day sorting donations for the charity.  Abigail along with assistant store manager Vikki Grindrod, local director Steve Ackroyd and customer service representative Jamie Setter spent the day at the sanctuary sorting months of donations.  They organised the donations into a tack sale with the proceeds going to rescue more local horses and ponies.

As a reward for all their efforts, the team then got to spend some time with the rescued horses and ponies.  The sanctuary staff have been so busy helping the animals that they have not had the chance to sort the donations, so the team’s hard work has made a huge difference.

“Hard work but great fun,” explains Southend Metro Bank’s assistant store manager Vikki Grindrod. “This is such a fantastic local charity – making a real difference to neglected and abandoned animals – we really enjoyed meeting the animals and it’s great that just by donating a day, the sanctuary can now raise much needed funds with the proceeds from the tack sale.”

Essex Horse and Pony Protection Society has been on its 55 acre site at Pitsea Hall Lane since 1986  The charity was established for the promotion of animal welfare and, in particular, to take all appropriate measures to protect equines from cruelty and to prevent the infliction of suffering and, where necessary, to take equines into care for rehabilitation.

“I’ve owned horses all of my life,” explains Metro Bank’s local business manager, Abigail Shepherd; “but they are a full time and expensive commitment which is unfortunately why so many get abandoned.  Being able to support a charity that dedicate so much to rescuing, rehabilitating and rehoming these beautiful animals has been a humbling experience.”

Metro Bank’s Southend store can be found at G19-G21 The Victoria Centre, SS1 2NG. The store is currently open Monday – Saturday 08:30am – 6pm. Sunday: 11am – 5pm.