A woman who will drag a resin horse from Wales to Birmingham in memory of her daughter

A mum is to walk from Wales to Birmingham with a life-size resin horse in memory of her horse-loving daughter who took her own life.

Emma Webb, 49, will travel 140 miles from her home in Newport to the Horse of the Year Show (HOYS) at the National Exhibition Center (NEC) in Birmingham in September for her daughter Brodie , who died in March 2020, aged 16.

Mrs Webb is set to take on the challenge with Miles, a resin horse on wheels weighing more than 80kg which she will pull and who previously joined her when she rode from Chepstow to London for the International Horse Show in 19 days last year.

“We decided to continue with the equestrian theme because of Brodie’s love of horses (and) talent around horses,” Ms Webb, who works in hospitality, told the PA news agency.

“(Miles) had a couple of little soft hairline fractures on the body because it’s made of resin, so hopefully someone else can take a look at those for me and then go for an MOT as well. to make sure none of the other parts wear out, to check it’s fit enough to go out.

“But other than that, he’s absolutely fine. He stayed in the living room all winter until this summer, so he lives with us in the living room.”

She said that when she last brought Miles with her on a challenge, he helped generate conversations about mental health and she hopes his presence will have the same effect this time.

“I wanted to break down the barriers and stigma surrounding mental health,” she said.

“I think it was a bit of an ice breaker for people to talk about their mental health.”

In her upcoming challenge, she is looking forward to meeting new people and raising awareness.

One of the people who discussed mental health with her on her last walk was the Prince of Wales, who listened to stories about Brodie and mentioned his own charity, Shout.

Mrs Webb said: “It was just amazing. I was told that Prince William saw what I was doing and wanted to support me in some way, but I never in a million years thought he would turn up and surprise me on the road.

“I didn’t really know what to say when he came up and shouted ‘hoo!’

“He stayed with us for probably about 25 minutes, pulling Miles with me, shoulder to shoulder.”

Mrs Webb has raised almost £60,000 for charities including Papyrus and Riders Minds over the years and aims to bring that total to £100,000 and attend HOYS to remember his equestrian links Brodie.

She also has a campaign called DoItForBrodie, where she has decorated horseshoes with items including charms and poems, as well as QR codes to the DoItForBrodie website, which links to charities including Papyrus and the Samaritans.

“I tend to put them in hotspots where people have taken their lives in the hope that someone might take a second look and scan the code,” she said.

Ms Webb’s fundraising and campaigning efforts secured her a finalist place in the Creative Fundraiser of the Year category for the GoCardless JustGiving Awards 2024 on 18 September.

“I feel really overwhelmed by the nomination,” she said. “It would be amazing to pick up the award and dedicate it to Brodie.”

Pascale Harvie, President and CEO of JustGiving said: “Losing Emma is completely unimaginable and something no parent should have to go through.

“Since losing her daughter Emma Brodie has tirelessly raised funds in honor of her life and we are proud to shine a light on all her important work at our awards ceremony in September.”

Members of the public can vote for the fundraisers they want to see recognized for their efforts by visiting: https://page.justgiving.com/justgiving-awards-vote

Mrs Webb’s fundraising page can be accessed here: https://www.justgiving.com/team/doitforbrodie