Time to hand over the reins: Lady Alex Hill stands down as Chair of Wilton RDA

Lady Alex Hill, Chair of Wilton RDA, has announced that she will be standing down after eight years in the seat this Autumn.

Now the group are looking to recruit a new Chair who will help continue her legacy.

Wilton RDA, based at The Pembroke Centre, Wilton, is an equine therapy Centre that has been providing riding and ground-based activities to the Salisbury community since 1985.

Alex first came to the Pembroke Centre as a volunteer in 1998, and during this time, she had time to fill between dropping off a child at nursery and collecting him a few hours later. She was taken by the impact the Centre has on people’s lives and went on to become a Trustee in 2006 and Chair in 2014.

Speaking to Love Salisbury, Alex says that she has found her time at the Centre an enriching and uplifting experience, recalling one parent saying to her recently that coming to the Centre had “made his son’s life worth living”.

Having seen the Centre through a period of many changes and COVID during her tenure, Alex feels the Centre is on a strong and even keel, and it is time to “pass on the reins”.

During her time as Chair, The Pembroke Centre has appointed a dedicated Centre Manager, the construction of Jonathan’s House, and the new Club Room extension. The Centre has also changed from a riding only group to a centre for many more equine therapies, such as ‘Tea with a Pony’ for Alzheimer’s and MS sufferer groups, and there is scope for many more activities like these in the years to come.

Alex feels that one of her greatest achievements during her time as Chair has been keeping everyone involved united throughout this period of change.

The Centre has over 100 active volunteers each week, and everyone is there because they want to be – not because they have to be. Volunteers undertake roles ranging from feeding and grooming to side-walking, gardening, and many more, to help run this wonderful Centre.

The group is now looking to recruit a new Chair who will help continue Alex’s legacy. This role does not require an equine background, but any candidate should have an understanding of working with vulnerable people and managerial experience.

Anyone interested in this incredibly rewarding and fulfilling role can email dawilton@gmail.com or find out more here.