A handsome Rocking Horse for HRH
Family business Jolly Rockers based in Ockley, near Horsham, have created a special Shetland rocking horse named ‘George’ as a gift for HRH Prince George to celebrate his Christening last week. The horse has been commissioned in collaboration with Rockinghorse Children’s Charity with nine further ‘Georges’ being sold as a limited edition to raise money for sick children in Sussex.
Debbie Hinton started Jolly Rockers with her husband Chris and son Robbie after teaching herself the traditional art of making rocking horses. She told us,
“The first rocking horse I made, Daisy Pickle, turned out so well that friends encouraged me to make more. We ended up taking them to trade shows and one day I made a phone call to Harrods who, to our amazement, agreed to start selling our toddler-scale horses.”
George has a special blue saddle to match the Rockinghorse charity colours and has his name embossed in the leather. Charlotte Gough-Cooper, Schools and Community Fundraising Manager from Rockinghorse, said: “We’re thrilled to be associated with Jolly Rockers who already donate a percentage from every rocking horse they sell. It’s wonderful that for each Limited Edition George, £145 will go towards our work at Brighton’s Royal Alexandra Children’s Hospital and projects to support sick and premature babies in the Trevor Mann Baby Unit.”
As with all Debbie’s creations, each ‘George’ is hand-carved and hand-painted meaning every one has his own unique character. The commemorative George Shetland Rocking Horse will be priced at £1,495 including a 10% donation to Rockinghorse Children’s Charity.
Ryan Heal, Chief Executive of Rockinghorse added, “We’re very proud to be the official charity of a hospital with royal Patronage and delighted to be involved in the royal celebrations. Some of the most important equipment we fund at Rockinghorse is to help babies through the first few months of their life, so celebrating a Christening feels very appropriate. The rocking horse in our logo demonstrates one of the our aims as a charity – to ensure that children who are sick can still live like children and enjoy themselves. The money raised from this limited edition will help us to do that by equipping the hospital not just with medical equipment, but toys and books to make the wards feel more like home.”
To find out more about Rockinghorse call 01273 330044. For information about Jolly Rockers call 01306 621418 / 07769 110075.
