Meet Our Team
Passionate professionals dedicated to helping children and young people thrive.
Sarah Birrane
Owner / Director and
Senior Equine Facilitated Learning Practitioner
Sarah is a qualified and registered Senior LEAP Equine Facilitated Learning Practitioner and previously worked as an NHS physiotherapist. She has significant experience supporting children with SEMH needs, Autism, ADHD, PDA, FASD, adopted, fostered or cared-for children, and children struggling with anxiety and stress.
Sarah is also autistic herself therefore giving Sarah a deep and personal understanding of both the challenges and the strengths being neurodivergent can bring and how to overcome those challenges and utilise those strengths to thrive. She has now dedicated her life to helping young people do the same! Sarah’s philosophy is that every young person has their own unique strengths and amazing personalities that can shine when empowered and supported and given as much agency as possible over their own lives. Sarah is trauma informed, patient and flexible and adaptable to each young persons needs.
Sarah has a gentle, intuitive herd of ponies and is passionate about helping people experience the connection and positive change that horses can provide.
Sonya O’Sullivan
Director
Sonya O’Sullivan is a local business owner and the owner of Stratus Associates Limited, a company providing professional learning, development and communications training.
Sonya joined Empowering Equine CIC because she wanted to contribute to helping younger members of the community achieve the best they can in life
Alice Moody
Forestry Provider
Alice is a qualified teacher who has a background in teaching a variety of students in schools from a variety of backgrounds, including extensive SEND experience. Alice made a move from traditional education and is now a forest school provider at our Alternative Provision.
Alice’s background in teaching gives her insight into the areas young people find challenging about school settings and Alice uses that insight how to help create sessions and a setting that is holisitic, flexible, child lead and can meet the needs of young people that do not thrive in a traditional education setting.
Alice is young person lead, flexible and adaptable to individual needs of each young person. Alice is kind and nurturing and passionate about empowering young people to thrive.
- Forest School Provider
- Qualified Teacher with an education background
- Enhanced DBS Checked
- First Aid Trained
- Safeguarding Trained
Our Values
“A life changing experience. The horses have a way of helping you see things in yourself that you didn’t see before.”
– PAST PARTICIPANT