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Tracie Holroyd was about to start her daily therapy sessions at her stables near Lichfield, Staffs, when a TV crew surprised her with a golden envelope.
Even then Tracie, whose organisation Horse Power provides therapy to young people through contact with horses, thought she was getting the runners-up prize of £5,000 – not a whopping £43,288.
She said: “Before I opened it they even asked me what I could do with £5,000.
“I had no inkling at all that we might have won the big prize. I wasn’t at all confident that we had done enough to get our message out. The other projects we were competing against are far better-known. It’s hard to put into words what I’m feeling right now. I’m ecstatic, overwhelmed, and so grateful to everyone who helped us win.”
Tracie and her team of 15 counsellors provide free therapy sessions to children, young people and adults with mental health issues, using horses as a tool for learning.
She said: “We’ll be able to pay our therapists, who until now have all been volunteers, so that means we’ll be able to do many more sessions.”
One of Horse Power’s therapists, Joanne Beirne, 48, added: ”Even in me the horses brought up feelings I hadn’t been aware of. It’s amazing to see the change in the people we work with.” “I had no inkling that we might have won the big prize. I wasn’t confident we’d got our message out there, but I’m ecstatic, overwhelmed and so grateful to everyone who helped us win”