Urban Equestrian Academy searching for new home after removal from site

The Urban Equestrian Academy (UEA) is urgently looking for a new home after being served a month's notice on its primary stables.

The social enterprise helps young people from inner-city communities to break into the world of equestrianism, but it faces an uncertain future after a falling-out with the owners of Scraptoft Hill Farm near Leicester. The charity was given until July 14 to vacate the land and find a new site.

Speaking at a UEA presentation at Wesley Hall Community Centre on Friday, the academy's founder Freedom Zampaladus, better known as Fr33dom, claimed he was banned from the site in April.

Zampaladus shared a copy of the notice to quit from the owners and said the suggestion of any property and horses left on the site being "disposed of" had caused "extreme panic" and would be challenged.

The UEA has been offered some nearby land to temporarily keep its horses but it will have to raise funds to build stables and shelters. A campaign was launched on Saturday to raise funds for a new site.

Zampaladus said he will meet representatives of Sir Peter Soulsby, the Mayor of Leicester, next week to discuss a new base in the city.

"We want to leave but we want to go in a reasonable way," he said. "Hopefully the meeting will help us over the line to get the land the council has offered, which we've been working on for four years. We're very excited about that as they're making the right noises."

Members of the British Racing School visited the UEA on Saturday to assess six young riders for the Khadijah Mellah Scholarship, which was launched in May to help young people from under-represented communities pursue a career in the racing industry.

"Despite all this drama, we continue to move forward," said Zampaladus. "The resilience of this organisation will transfer to the young people and this will make them champions of the future."

The owners of Scraptoft Hill Farm did not wish to comment when approached on Friday.

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