Riders from Chisbury on the hunt for charity cash (From The Wiltshire Gazette and Herald)

Riders from Chisbury on the hunt for charity cash

7:00am Saturday 17th April 2010 in Marlborough By Nigel Kerton

Jewellery designer Philippa Holland is planning a 100 mile sidesaddle horse ride with her close friend Martha Sitwell to raise money for a new breast cancer charity called Too Many Women.

The charity has been launched by their friend Harry Becher, who lives in Hampshire, following the death of his mother from the disease. He has set a fund raising target of £1 million over the next 12 months.

Miss Holland, from Chisbury in Savernake Forest, and Lady Sitwell, who are both hunting enthusiasts, will follow a cross-country route of about 100 miles to their destination at Lymington on the Hampshire coast.

They will set off on April 24 from Knowle House, the home of Miss Holland, and head over Salisbury Plain, past Stonehenge, down through the Cranbourne Chase and through the New Forest to Lymington.

They have picked a route which is largely cross-country avoiding roads although Miss Holland said: “That presents us with the problem of opening and closing numerous gates along the way.”

She said that it was very difficult to get on and off when riding sidesaddle and that they were hoping to persuade a friend to accompany them for that purpose.

Miss Holland rides with the Tedworth while Lady Sitwell is a professional huntswoman with the Grafton hunt in Northamptonshire where she lives.

She makes what she called “organic jewellery” inspired by the natural world at her studio in London and sells though her website www.philippaholland.co.uk Sponsorship has poured in rather faster than the pair anticipated. “Our target was £1,000 but, although we only started our campaign a week ago, we have nearly reached it so we hope to raise much more than that,” said Miss Holland.