News Story

Shire Horses to return to the National Brewery Centre
Burton upon Trent, Staffordshire, UK – 3rd March 2010 – In readiness for the 1st May 2010 opening of the new National Brewery Centre, Burton upon Trent, staff are busily preparing to welcome back the much-missed Shire horses to the Horninglow Road site.

Pictured are (from left): Yearling Colt, Major and Andrew Whetton - head horseman, National Brewery Centre, Burton upon Trent.

The iconic breed is well-known for its work in the brewing industry and Planning Solutions Ltd, the company behind the new National Brewery Centre, has secured two young local Shire horses that will be at the site during weekends, school and bank holidays.

The first, a two year old gelding, born in Ramsor, near Ashbourne, is called Major and currently stands at 16.3 hands high (a hand is around 4 inches).

The younger of the pair is yearling colt, born in Sutton on the Hill and currently stands at around 15.2 hands high. The National Brewery Centre is launching a competition to name him and the lucky winner will receive a Family Annual Ticket for the centre.

John Lowther, chief executive of Planning Solutions Ltd, said: “We appreciate how upset people were when the previous Shire horses left here when the Coors Visitor Centre and Museum closed in 2008.”

“They are an absolutely integral part of the history of brewing and will have been a very familiar sight throughout the UK delivering beer.

“We are absolutely delighted to be bringing Shires back to the stables here at the centre. We have used a local company, Dream Ponies Ltd, to provide them and the two directors Lucy and Rachel and have worked really hard to find us the pair. They help us out at our nearby Conkers visitor centre in the National Forest and we’ve been very pleased with the work that they have done for us.

“In addition to the horses, we have appointed a championship-winning, local Shire horse expert, Andrew Whetton, from Denstone, who will be our head horseman here at the National Brewery Centre. His background and experience with the breed are world-class and he has grown up working with Shires.”

Andrew comes from a long-line of Shire breeders and upon leaving school worked with horses at a Blackburn-based brewery, looking after them, delivering beer and successfully entering Shire horse shows throughout the UK.

Andrew commented: “I came to, what was then, the Bass Museum whilst I was still at school for my work experience and always imagined myself working at the Horninglow Road stables. After the centre closed in 2008, I never thought it would happen.”

“Shires are in my blood and a large part of my life has been dedicated to these magnificent creatures.

“I’m really happy to be working at the new centre and showing visitors just how great these horses are.”

Lucy Quy, Dream Ponies Ltd, added: ”Rachel and I are delighted to be working with the National Brewery Centre in providing their horses.”

“The two new Shires will reach full maturity at around the age of five and will weigh an impressive one ton in weight and stand at around 18 hands high.

“As they are still young, they won’t be driving the drays just yet, this will happen after they reach three years old.”

Competition

To enter the naming competition, entrants will simply need to email their suggestion of a name for the yearling colt (pictured below), along with their name and contact details to: shires@nationalbrewerycentre.co.uk

The competition closes at midnight on the 31st March 2010 and the winner will be contacted shortly afterwards.

The new National Brewery Centre will be open by the 1st May 2010

ENDS