Community
Alpacas are coming back to Liverpool’s Beechley Stables
3 years ago
Alpacas are coming back to Beechley Stables in Allerton, giving families a chance to get up close and have a cuddle with the super-cute animals.
Beechley, which is a Riding for the Disabled centre, is putting on petting sessions to help raise funds and bring the community together for a fun all-ages event over the school summer holidays.
Theyâve already held two sold-out dates with animals from Ark 2 Ewe, and have added a third on Friday August 20.
The sessions include a chance to meet and stroke not just the alpacas but some of their furry friends too.
Previous visits from Ark 2 Ewe have featured goats, sheep, guinea pigs, chinchillas and a baby tortoise.
Beechley trustee Jean Halligan says the petting days have proved incredibly popular, with grandparents, parents and young children all taking part.
âIt gives Ark 2 Ewe an opportunity to share their animals with people in the community who wouldnât normally get up close to an alpaca or some of the other animals,â she says.
âAnd itâs something thatâs appealing to all ages, not just families with children – the first guests for our July 30 session were two adults who just love alpacas and we are on their doorstep so they donât have to travel to be able to pet them.â
Jean says Beechleyâs riding space is perfect to accommodate all the animals in a way thatâs completely inclusive.
âWeâve got a huge covered arena and the animals are spread out so everybody has ample opportunity and room to move around and to touch the animals and spend time with them.
âIt doesnât matter what the weatherâs like because can centre the animals in the arena so everyoneâs under cover and people can still mill around freely. And weâve got tracking we can put down so wheelchairs, prams and mobility scooters can get on there and reach the animals so itâs totally accessible and nobody has to miss out on the experience.â
Jean says the sessions have already been a big attraction, especially as people look for unusual ways to entertain children in the long summer holidays if theyâre not going away due to Covid travel uncertainty.
Like most charities, Beechley Stables has had to rely even more than before on donations and fund-raising during the pandemic. Lockdown meant it wasnât able to open as usual to offer riding and horse care for children, young adults and adults with disabilities.
Lessons are now back on, but Jean says they are still needing to be creative when it comes to financially supporting their work.
âOur core income is riding so when you canât do that obviously it has a big impact so weâve had to look at other means and while Covid is still around weâve got to continue to do that,â she explains.
âAlthough weâve been able to resume riding again, we are still looking at additional ways we can raise funds. We won a Lottery grant in October which really helped us, and weâve had some funding from the Steve Morgan Foundation and the DCMS.
âOur petting sessions are a great extra way to support what we do and itâs a chance to get the whole community involved.â
The next petting day, which Jean says will probably be the last to take place this summer, will be on Friday August 20, from 1pm to 4pm. There will be five 45-minute sessions, and each one can accommodate around 15 children and adults. They cost ÂŁ10 per person and children under 5 go free with a paying adult. Bookings will be taken via email, beechleyrda@hotmail.com