WEST Dorset charity founder Harriet Laurie has a new sponsor for her social enterprise.

She's been taken under the wing of Lloyds Bank Social Entrepreneurs Programme with a £15,000 grant, business mentor and learning programme with the bank's School for Social Entrepreneurs.

Harriet Laurie, from Askerswell, has a degree in law and worked as a designer and marketing consultant, before deciding to set up her own social enterprise, TheHorseCourse.

She is now being supported by the Lloyds Bank Social Entrepreneurs 'Scale Up' programme to increase the social outreach of her enterprise.

She said: "There is no better feeling than knowing you are genuinely changing lives, but innovation is a tough and lonely job.

"Joining the Lloyds Bank Social Entrepreneurs Programme was like coming home – a whole bunch of similarly driven people facing the same ups and downs, all of us needing to find solutions to different but similar challenges. I would recommend it to any social entrepreneur, despite the time spent travelling to London.”

Fascinated by experimental psychology and with a life-long passion for horses, Harriet was inspired by Parelli natural horsemanship.

She said the alternative training method requires clear and calm communication and that is perfect for working with hard-to-reach groups in the community, where conventional methods such as talk therapy are not working.

Taking referrals from schools, children’s services, offending teams and mental health services, TheHorseCourse offers an intensive five-day programme to interrupt usual patterns of behaviour and encourage new habits to be formed.

Harriet said: "Through requesting the specially trained horses to do tasks, the handler needs to understand how to be clear, calm and controlled in communication, and take responsibility for their emotions, important skills which they can transfer to situations in everyday life."

Harriet said skill-sharing and networking with other entrepreneurs on the Lloyds programme is equally as important as the expert-led sessions.

TheHorseCourse is aiming to expand its outreach and is developing four hubs across the South of England at the moment, aiming to move from charitable to trading income to increase its sustainability.

Working with more than 200 people a year, research studies are now underway to demonstrate the longevity of impact the course has.

But the charity is in trouble - it needs a new home to continue and Harriet's appeal to landowners around west Dorset - particularly in the Weymouth area - to help has so far been unsuccessful.

Anyone who can help can contact her on 01308 485080, h@thehorsecourse.org