Together we make a difference

Affiliated to Riding for the Disabled

The official charity of the British Driving Society

The Sanders Watney Trust is a registered charity established in 1986 to assist and enable carriage drivers with disabilities. In association with the British Driving Society (BDS) and the Riding for the Disabled Association, (RDA) the charity took the name in honour of former British Driving Society President and founding member,  Sanders Watney.  The Trust's objective is to provide financial assistance to enable those confined to wheelchairs and other disabilities to achieve their goal of carriage driving. Grants and loans are made to organisations and individuals by the Trust for many purposes, including:

• Paying for adapting reins, carriage wheelchair fixings & hardware.

• Funding training and driving tuition scholarships.

• Hiring arenas for competition or tuition.

• Purchasing a carriage or harness.

• Funding carriage driving short stay vacations and breaks.

The Sanders Watney Trust: Carriage Driving Scholarships 2026

The Sanders Watney Trust is delighted to invite applications for its annual Carriage Driving Scholarships, offering awards of £350 each.


Scholarships Offered

1. Disabled Carriage Driver Scholarship

2. RDA Carriage Driving Coach Scholarship

These scholarships are designed to support training and development for the categories above.


Eligibility Scholarships

Applicants must be either:

• Members of an RDA disabled carriage driving group

• Disabled  members of the British Driving Society

• Disabled members of British Carriage Driving, or one of its affiliated clubs.


Application Requirements

Applicants are asked to submit a letter including:

• A brief personal introduction

• An overview of their carriage driving journey

• Their future aspirations

• How the scholarship will support their goals

• Contact details (email and telephone number)


How to Apply

Send your application by email to:

Fran Raindle, Trust Secretary

Email: swtrust26@gmail.com


Deadline

All applications must be received no later than 15th June 2026.


Announcement of Winners

The Winners will be announced in early July 2026.

The Trustees encourage all eligible individuals to apply and look forward to supporting dedicated drivers and coaches in developing their skills


Our objectives...

The Sanders Watney Trust is the charitable arm of the British Driving Society. The main objective of the trust is to help disabled persons follow their goal of carriage driving. Financial assistance may be given to RDA affiliated Carriage Driving Groups for the Disabled in the form of gifts or interest free loans to help towards the purchase of carriages, harness, driving holidays or training.

Visit our gift Shop

Celebrate in style this Christmas and help the Sanders Watney Trust raise much needed funds to help disabled carriage drivers. Each year, we have a fine selection of seasonal gifts available for sale, our specially commissioned cards make the ideal way to share your sentiments. You can purchase these direct online via paypal or send an email where we can process your order.

Make a donation:

The work of the Sanders Watney Trust is totally reliant on the generosity of individuals, thanks to their kind donations and bequests. To help facilitate and secure our services for continued work for the disabled carriage driver, we welcome your support and financial contribution. Any donations paid by UK taxpayers can benefit from the HMRC Gift Aid scheme.

Sanders Watney...

The Sanders Watney Trust is the charitable arm of the British Driving Society. The chariy takes it's name in honour of the former Brriish Driving Society President and founding member, Mr Sanders Watney a keen coachman and promoter of the traditional skill of carriage driving and his awareness of the benefits to all members of society.

The Swingletree legacy

The Sanders Watney Trust are immensely grateful to the late John Parker and Susan Townsend who have chosen the Trust as beneficiaries of their JustGiving fund raising campaign in the memory of their tremendous contribution to the world of carriage driving. John would be very touched by the generosity for your kind donation to this fund:


Regional Groups

The Sanders Watney Trust is proud to work in conjunction with the Riding for the Disabled Association and the British Driving Society. The RDA is split into 18 regions with over 70 regional groups and welcomes support volunteers to help enable our drives and support our individuals. Contact your local area RDA representative on this link: