Turning Environmental Goals into Action at Sirona
A free assessment on their carbon neutral credentials was welcomed by Sirona Therapeutic Horsemanship. The Netshift Decarbonisation Programme is government-funded and run through Libraries Unlimited for businesses in rural areas of Devon. Sirona successfully applied for an assessment from the programme, which gave them a visit from a specialist consultant is followed up with a report featuring clear, actionable recommendations to reduce their carbon footprint.
South Devon-based Sirona provides equine-based educational and therapeutic activities to disadvantaged young people and adults to promote better resilience and social, emotional and physical well-being. The organisation was founded in 2006 as the Therapeutic Horsemanship project by social worker Dr Hannah Burgon, who remains as the CEO. Originally a Community Interest Company based at the Dame Hannahs Rogers Trust at Seale Hayne, near Newton Abbot, Sirona became a registered charity in October 2016. It now runs a 10-acre site near Totnes, and over the years has worked with over 550 young people.
"Throughout 2025 we began a more detailed process of reviewing and keeping a general record of positive ways in which we were working in terms of low carbon and supporting the environment," said Administrator Diane Cleave. "Our ethos is to manage our land in a way that increases and beneficially supports biodiversity and the health of our animals, team and participants.
"We signed up to Netshift in October 2025. We felt it was the right time for us as an organisation to look at how we are impacting our environment. It was a good timing in that it helped us to focus on detail and have a tangible measure of our impact.
"The process was relatively easy for us as we are a small organisation. It probably added up to three days in total.
"The report flagged up useful factors such as staff transport methods to and from work and the distances travelled by our participants. It was good to see in black and white the ways in which our environmental policy is being implemented and to have it confirmed that some of our long-term goals are in alignment with the report. Vegetation roofing was a thought-provoking suggestion for the future, and more tree planting will be something we will definitely do.
"I would encourage other organisations to sign up to Netshift. Identifying areas that can be improved on, no matter how small, all go towards making a more positive impact. There are many different ways in which our carbon footprints can be reduced, what is practical for one organisation may not be practical for others but if we can all identify the areas in which we can make a change they all add up to making a difference. The support we were given whilst going through the process was very helpful and we appreciated having input from someone with a wider viewpoint and experience to our own. Having a carbon neutral credential demonstrates to our stakeholders that we are committed to health and wellbeing of all – and that starts with the environment."
