Eat Sleep Ride Joins ‘Towards a Thriving Sector’ Leadership Programme

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We’re proud to share that Danielle (Founder & CEO) and Stephen (Chair of the Board) have been accepted onto Towards a Thriving Sector — a national leadership and learning programme supported by The National Lottery Heritage Fund and delivered by Social Enterprise Academy.

Over the next seven months, this programme will bring together heritage leaders from across Scotland to explore what collaboration and resilience can look like in a changing world. It focuses on building leadership capacity, strengthening partnerships, and finding new ways to protect, celebrate and sustain heritage at a local and national level.

For Eat Sleep Ride, this represents a powerful next chapter.

A growing legacy of leadership, heritage and community

What began as a reclaimed landfill site has grown into a living, breathing community hub where horses, nature, people and heritage come together. Our work combines equine welfare, rural skills, environmental sustainability, and social impact.

Through our HERD Dynamics leadership programme, we’ve developed innovative ways of supporting people to learn from herd behaviour and apply shared leadership in real-world settings — from youth development to organisational growth. We’ve hosted young people from rural and urban areas, supported individuals experiencing disadvantage, created pathways into education and work, and shared the value of equine heritage as part of community identity.

Why this programme matters

Joining Towards a Thriving Sector gives us the space and support to:

  • 🌱 Strengthen the leadership capacity of our organisation

  • 🧭 Build practical strategies to sustain and grow our heritage work

  • 🤝 Form deeper collaborations with other heritage organisations

  • 🐴 Protect and celebrate equine and rural heritage as living, evolving parts of community life

  • 🪴 Explore innovative approaches to community engagement and environmental stewardship

As a grassroots organisation with a bold vision, we know the challenges of building something sustainable from the ground up. This programme is about learning alongside others, sharing what we’ve built, and shaping the future of the heritage sector together.

🔸 A collaborative journey

Danielle will bring her lived leadership experience — rooted in community building, coaching, equine-facilitated learning and systems change. Stephen will bring the perspective of strategic governance, ensuring our Board and community remain aligned as we grow.

This shared leadership approach mirrors the values at the heart of our work: collaboration, trust, resilience, and learning from each other.

🐎 Looking to the future

This opportunity will help us create stronger foundations for Eat Sleep Ride’s long-term vision:

  • Securing and protecting our site as a heritage and learning hub

  • Expanding HERD Dynamics to support more communities and sectors

  • Deepening our impact for young people, families and volunteers

  • Advocating for rural and equine heritage in national conversations

  • Building sustainable partnerships that create lasting change

We’re proud to be part of this programme and deeply grateful to the National Lottery players whose support makes it possible. This is more than professional development — it’s an investment in the future of rural heritage, community leadership and social change.

👉 Learn more about the programme: https://www.heritagefund.org.uk