Browse through our blog posts to find out what life is like at Hoe Grange Holidays along with some great ideas for days out in the Peak District.
Never work with women and animals!!!!!!!!
We were approached by Chris Swift who designed and manufactures the Boma 7 off-road wheelchair that we offer our holiday guests for hire, to take part in their 2016 fundraising calendar.
Chris founded The Molten Rock Foundation as a not for profit company to promote access to the countryside for all persons with mobility impairments.
The foundation aims to raise funds for charities who have either funded Boma chairs for individuals or assist those with ambulatory disabilities to access the outdoors. He had a vision to create an art calendar for 2016 showing the diverse uses of the Boma 7 and at the same time raise money for charity.
Each month on the calendar is dedicated to a particular client and the charity of their choice; with the nominated charities taking equal shares of any profits.
We were delighted to be asked to participate and chose Canine Partners as our charity, as quite a number of our guests bring working dogs with them on their holiday and we can see what a difference a fully trained assistance dog can make to someone’s quality of life.
Having a photo shoot for our off-road wheelchair proved to be an interesting and challenging experience, in many ways!
First of all the weather was stormy with grey skies and drizzling rain, not ideal conditions for taking pictures.
The photographic director (A WOMAN!!) and the photographer (we weren't paying, or it would have been just me and an iPhone) wanted to show our animals on holiday.
Outdoor table on the decking set with china tea cups and saucers..... easy
Can we get some animals?
Yes.
Will the dog sit at the table in the Boma?
Have you got a tame sheep?
Surprisingly the answer to both was yes!
Will the sheep sit at the table in a chair?
No – it’s friendly but not circus trained
Will the sheep wear wellies?
Possibly?
After several failed attempts - NO definitely not for more than a second!
Can you bring the horse up to the table,
No
Yes
No
Yes
I said NO it wasn’t practical, but Felicity, in her wisdom, said yes Oliver is calm and of course he can walk onto the decking and stand by the table, as though partaking in an afternoon tea party with his friends, Crunchie the dog and Molly the sheep.
You can imagine the scene, me holding the cade lamb in place by the French doors, the Boma wheelchair parked at the tea table, with Crunchie the Labrador sat in the seat, slobbering with the promise of more biscuits, all patiently waiting for Oliver to walk onto the decking to complete the tableau.
I don't know who spooked who, but it all went "Tits up" as they say! The last straw for Oliver was the jangling rattle of the tea cups as his hooves rattled the decking – he spun round at great speed, knocking the table and tea cups flying. Not being very brave his flight mechanism kicked in and he decided the best way out of this frightening situation was over the railings, towards the field.
Felicity has taken him jumping, but the railings were a bit higher than his normal jumps, especially from a standing start, so 4 faults as he flattened two sections of railings on his way to freedom. He cantered down the driveway and back to his field companion Jessie for some reassurance.
Fortunately no one was hurt and Felicity managed to retrieve him without further incident.
We ended up resetting the scene, but sensibly leaving the horse outside on the lawn area looking in, which, as I may hasten to add, was my original suggestion!
Take my advice - never work with women and animals, you can get in a real tangle.
Amazingly the finished photo looks stunning and I think the stormy clouds are in fact more dramatic than blue skies and sunshine. As we are on the October page, the image fits in beautifully. You wouldn’t think that Oliver was still shaking and would not stand still. Our little lamb was not too keen either, and certainly wouldn’t entertain wearing wellingtons, but Crucnhie the Labrador enjoyed the whole experience as not only did she get a comfy seat, she got a lot of extra treats!
Chris and his team wanted to make the calendar images visually striking, positive and memorable. We are all very proud of the finished calendar and the Hoe Grange Holidays final photograph will certainly stick in our minds!
Having heard our tale of the trials and tribulations of our photo shoot and working with farm animals, make our effort worthwhile and please support our chosen charity, Canine Partners, and the other worthwhile charities, by buying a calendar for yourself and your friends – at just £15 they will make great Christmas presents!
Find out more and order your Boma All Terrain 2016 calendar now
David