An Unstable Charity

Over a year and a quarter has passed since Save Chawton Shires offered to lease two stables and grazing rights in order to restore Heavy Horses to the Chawton Estate at our own expense. The offer would have created an income stream for the charity from unused assets and they would have borne no risk. Our offer was rejected, with Trustee Simon Knight vowing that 'horses will never return to Chawton House.' He was wrong because they subsequently provided an identical lease to an employee's relative for 5 months last summer generating £800 in income. Our offer would have provided an additional £2,560 revenue on the same terms.

Their rejection is puzzling in two regards. Firstly the charity claims to have a cash flow crisis and to be teetering on the brink of insolvency, yet they decided to forego money. Secondly, their own statistics demonstrate that visitor attractions featuring nature attract twelve times as many paying visitors than those involving books and Jane Austen.

Please continue to boycott this poorly-administered, horse-hostile charity until they change their strategy.