100,000th visitor due in Christmas - New Year week: 'Groom for a Day' experience for landmark guest

An animal

welfare charity visitor attraction in North East Somerset is set to smash

records this Christmas by welcoming its 100,000th

visitor-in-a-year.... and is planning to reward the landmark guest by giving

them the chance to become a 'Groom for a Day' in 2012 at the charity's

behind-the-scenes Welfare Yard.

 

HorseWorld

at Whitchurch expects to hit the unprecedented landmark figure when it opens

for business between Christmas and new year (open 27, 28 and 29 December).

 

The 100,000th person through the doors will be invited to

make an arrangement free-of-charge to join the charity's Equine Welfare Team

for a day in 2012 to see and assist their core work to rescue, rehabilitate and

rehome neglected and mistreated horses, ponies and donkeys. If the lucky

visitor is under 16 they will be offered TWO 'Pony Experience Days' – one for a

friend - the younger person's equivalent experience.

 

At close of

business on Sunday 18 December, HorseWorld had welcomed 99,000 visitors through

its doors in 2011. Projections show that the six-figure record will be hit on

one of the days the popular attraction is open before new year.

 

Visitor

Centre Manager Sharon Crewe said: "Offering a free HorseWorld Groom for a Day

experience – or free Pony Experience Days for younger visitors – is one way we

want to say 'thank you' to our wonderful supporters who have helped us go from

strength to strength in 2011."

 

She

explained the charity is working hard to meet the new challenges its popularity

brings: "If we hit 100,000 visitors it will be a staggering success, but huge

visitor numbers have brought significant challenges which we're working flat

out to meet. This year we've put extra resources into our Visitor Centre to

help meet rocketing demand, making HorseWorld one of the Whitchurch area's

largest employers."

 

HorseWorld

has bucked national trends with its 2011 visitor numbers, whilst many visitor

attractions have struggled. HorseWorld's previous highest was 61,000 in 2005.

In 2011 this figure had been exceeded by mid-August, and now the magical

100,000 figure is set to be smashed.

 

The"Groom For A Day"

experience, on offer free of charge to the lucky landmark visitor, is available

to members of the public at a cost of £99. It begins at 8.30am when the guest

is shown how to mix up feeds for some 100 horses cared for at the charity's

140-acre site. They are then taken by the Equine Husbandry Team on their

rounds, visiting every horse to ensure that it is fit, healthy and free from

injury. If there are rescued horses in the Isolation Unit, they spend time

there, helping to check on their welfare and to make a note of their progress.

The experience also includes: lunch, a Guest Ticket for the Visitor Centre and

a certificate on completion of the experience.

 

'Groom for a Day' is only available to people aged 16 years

or over but if the 100,000th visitor is under-16 they will be offered

TWO places on a child's 'Pony Experience Day' – a similar whole-day experience,

tailored for younger supporters and based at the HorseWorld Visitor Centre.