A £250,000 grant has been awarded to The Suffolk Punch Trust to safeguard the future of the Suffolk Punch horse, the oldest and rarest breed of heavy horse in the world.

The grant means that the Suffolk Punch Trust is now nearing its £700,000 target needed to build an education and heritage centre at Hollesley Bay, where many of the horses are kept.

The Trust bought 27 Suffolk Punch horses, buildings, equipment and 180 acres of land at Hollesley Bay in 2006 to secure the future of the stud and these magnificent horses.

The Suffolk Punch is probably the oldest breed of working horse in the world. It has the longest written pedigree of any such breed - every Suffolk can be traced back to a stallion known as Crisp's Horse of Ufford foaled in 1768.

The breed can be recognised both by its size (over 16 hands) and its chestnut colour. It has a very strong association with the people of East Anglia and was the mainstay of farms across the county before the introduction of the tractor. Today, when the breed is very rare, the Suffolk Punch is still recognised as an icon for Suffolk and as a most important feature of our countryside heritage.

Construction of the Hollesley Bay Centre and other refurbishment works is due to start in spring 2009 with an opening planned for September.

You can see the Suffolk Punch for yourselves by visiting Shingle Street on the Suffolk coast.