Name: Pippa Quelch
Job Title: PR & Campaigns Manager
Pathways Programme: Pathways to Charity and Development 2025
Organisation Summary: We’re the place for people who want to make a difference to the lives of horses, ponies and foals. Together with our supporters, we provide lifelong sanctuary to rescued equines, rehoming, welfare outreach and advice and Equine Assisted Services. We’re based in Devon and work across the Southwest of England. As a registered charity we rely entirely on donations and legacy gifts.
How did hosting an intern via the Professional Pathways programme benefit you and your organisation?
Hosting Oksana through the Professional Pathways programme brought a fresh perspective and valuable insights into our work. She shared useful impressions of our website and social media, and researched how other charities approach supporter engagement – topics we’re actively working on. Oksana supported a key public event at the welcome desk and helped with event setup, contributing to the success and smooth running of the event. She also wrote a thoughtful piece for our website and newsletter about her experiences and impressions of our charity. Personally, this was my first time hosting an intern, and I found it to be a rewarding and enjoyable experience. The preparation work she did with her Pathways group prior to her placement, presenting ideas on engaging school pupils, was particularly helpful, and our fundraising team is now considering whether to adopt some of her strategies in future initiatives. Following the internship, Oksana has begun volunteering for our charity which is extremely valuable to us as she brings skills and enthusiasm to our work, as well as a commitment to help promote what we do digitally.
My experience of hosting Oksana as a Pathways intern was very positive. She was eager to visit our Sanctuary sites as much as possible during her internship, which we really appreciated. As part of the Content Team, we felt it was important for her to see first-hand how our Content Producers photograph, film, and gather information to tell stories. Given that we are a multi-sited organisation, she was able to visit two of our equine bases and meet many team members. We’re grateful she was willing to use her own laptop for hybrid working, and we ensured she was set up with an organisation account in advance.
Our previous experience with fully remote internships showed that site visits significantly improve engagement and a sense of being valued, so we recommend arranging some in-person work. We were able to offer Oksana flexible scheduling for much of the two weeks and checked in regularly, providing support from team mentors and myself. The main challenge was fitting everything into 35 hours, but we aimed to give her as much knowledge as possible. We were pleased to be able to invite Oksana to a session of our Equine Assisted Learning, which she thoroughly enjoyed. It was a rewarding experience for us all to see her genuinely connect with the horses.
Why would you recommend hosting an intern via Professional Pathways?
Hosting an intern via Professional Pathways provided us the opportunity to bring fresh perspectives and new ideas into our organisation. It created a great learning opportunity for us to share our expertise and develop future talent in the sector. Oksana brought ideas, enthusiasm and motivation, which made a positive impact on team morale and collaboration. Her involvement allowed us to better staff a public event and increase our capacity to engage with visitors. Oksana has just signed up to become a volunteer with us, which is an incredible bonus—showing her strong commitment and genuine interest in our work. We truly value her time, skills, and positive attitude, making the internship a rewarding experience for everyone involved.