A giant cheque for £500 was presented by Wiltshire Police’s rural crime team to Marlborough racehorse welfare charity Greatwood at its open day on Sunday.
The team has security stamped hundreds of leather horse saddles across the county as part of its crime prevention work. This service acts as a deterrent against theft and, if theft does occur, it increases the chance of property being returned to the owner.
Although the tack marking service is free, many people made donations in the past year, and the rural crime team decided to present these funds — £500 in total — to Greatwood at its open day event.
The team took time out to promote its work to members of the public who were present. The team aims to provide the rural community with a single point of contact. It offers specialist policing advice and deals with rural community issues, such as hare coursing, poaching and theft of plant and machinery.
It also coordinates Horsewatch and Farmwatch schemes which both provide members with regular updates about rural policing matters.
John Bordiss, the team’s police community support officer (PCSO) told Marlborough News Online: “We had a great time at the Greatwood open day. It provided us with an excellent opportunity to talk to people about the work we do, services we offer and provide people with valuable crime prevention advice.
“We were able to present £500 to the charity thanks to generous donations from those who have received our tack marking service, including Horsewatch members and others. I would like to thank everyone for their support and I’m pleased we were able to present Greatwood with this money.”
Greatwood provides fulfilling futures for former racehorses and children with special educational needs through providing rehabilitation and education programmes in a secure and caring environment.
