Healing Through Connection: How the alfie nick foundation and move the Mind Are Transforming Lives

Facing both physical and emotional health challenges - and with limited external support - Anna, a grandmother and sole carer for her two young grandchildren, reached out to the Local Authority for help in keeping her family stable.

Since June 2025, the Alfie Nick Foundation has stepped in to support the family by funding weekly sessions with Move the Mind, a unique therapeutic programme using gentle, sensory-based interactions with horses to help children build confidence, emotional awareness, and resilience.

Each week, the children take part in activities designed to nurture their wellbeing - from brushing and leading the horses to playful sensory experiences and time outdoors. Under the compassionate guidance of instructor Nicole, they have formed meaningful bonds with both her and the horses, creating a sense of trust, safety, and emotional connection. This bond has helped the children better identify and regulate their emotions, contributing to increased self-awareness and resilience.

Sibling bonding

This critical support has helped the children to flourish. Each session reinforces positive experiences, encourages a sense of achievement, and supports calmer behaviour. As a result, the children are more confident, more willing to try new things, and more open in their communication.

Social development has also seen significant progress. Through shared activities and gentle guidance, they are building vital interpersonal skills such as empathy, reciprocity, and understanding boundaries.

Beyond the horse-based therapeutic work, Move the Mind offers holistic activities that enhance daily life. The children enjoy sensory swinging, spending time outdoors, collecting eggs from the chickens, and preparing simple meals like omelettes. These nurturing routines introduce healthy habits and support both emotional and physical wellbeing.

For Anna, these sessions have offered more than just support for the children — they have sparked cherished memories of her own childhood spent around horses. With ongoing health challenges and limited help, she has found reassurance in knowing that her grandchildren are receiving consistent, therapeutic care that she wouldn’t otherwise have been able to provide.

Access to these sessions, funded by the Alfie Nick Foundation, has been vital in easing the pressures she faces and ensuring stability for her family during a difficult time.

In many ways, Move the Mind has become a place of growth and grounding for this family — a safe, nurturing space where emotional connection and healing can flourish.