At our 15-acre Redmile facility, Polly Dell’Armi shares the moving story of her friend Amy Duffield, whose unexpected passing in 2013 inspired her mother Sharon to transform grief into purpose. Through Sharon’s determination and love, Amy’s passion for horses has evolved into a living legacy that continues to enrich lives even after both mother and daughter are gone.

The origin of Amy’s Trust

Ruby: Polly, you knew Amy since your school days. Can you tell us about who Amy was and what she was like?

Polly: I would have first met Amy when I joined the girls high school in Nottingham back in 2001. Amy was in a different class, but her aura was all about involving everyone and including everyone. It didn’t matter what your quirks were—Amy definitely had her own quirks!

Amy was really keen on just being friends with everyone. The house in Remington where she lived with her mum Sharon was such an overwhelming property and garden, but the doors were always open. You’d go around to Amy’s and you genuinely wouldn’t know who was going to be there, but you knew there would be a collection of people. At that age, when I was 13-14, there weren’t many other families where I’d feel comfortable just showing up. Everyone would cook together, everyone would sit together. It was the kind of stuff you read about or watch in American films.

Ruby: And horses were always a big part of Amy’s life?

Polly: Absolutely. Amy spent her whole life dedicated to horses—that was her passion. By 2013, she had left university, traveled around South America riding horses on beaches, and was back in Nottingham living with her mom. She was even toying with the idea of moving to the Middle East, partly because of the strong horse culture there. That relationship with horses was constant throughout her life.

A Life Changed Overnight

Ruby: What happened in 2013 that changed everything?

Polly: It was completely out of the blue. Within the space of just a few days in August 2013, Amy went from not feeling well—almost like a bit flu-ish—to seeing a GP. Her mom finally said, “Come on, let me take you to the doctors.” When they got there, the doctors realised whatever was going on was pretty sinister.

She went to the doctors one morning and never went back home. She was taken straight to hospital where they discovered she had myocarditis, an infection of the inner chambers of the heart. The hospital was amazing—she had open heart surgery and they used an ECMO machine, which removes the reliance on your major organs like heart and lungs to give you every chance to fight the infection. Unfortunately, in Amy’s case, it wasn’t enough. But there was nothing more the medics could have done.

Ruby: And Sharon, Amy’s mom, channeled her grief into action, didn’t she?

Polly: Yes, Sharon almost turned her grief into ammunition to give back. We raised over £120,000 and bought an ECMO machine for the Queens Medical Centre. At that time in 2013, I think there were only six or seven of these machines across the whole of the UK. We also set up the Duffield training room at the QMC hospital. It would never bring Amy back, but it was something we could do to show appreciation for the medical team’s efforts.

Sharon’s Journey

Ruby: Sharon sounds like she was an incredible person too.

Polly: She really was. Sharon was determined that we wanted to set up a trust to continue fundraising. Even through her grief, animals remained a huge part of her life. Amy had persuaded Sharon to get a little cockapoo called Maisie just before she passed away, and I’m not sure what Sharon would have done without Maisie after Amy was gone. When all the visitors left and Sharon was alone at night, Maisie was there, which meant Amy was with her as well.

Sharon sadly went on to fight her own battle with cancer, and we lost her in May 2020, during COVID. But even through all her treatments, Maisie was by her side. Before she passed, we promised Sharon we would continue the legacy.

Ruby: What vision did Sharon have for Amy’s Trust?

Polly: Definitely something to do with horses and working with children—particularly helping people who hadn’t necessarily had the opportunities that Amy had through being able to ride and own horses. Sharon and Amy both recognised it was a privilege to do that. It was really important that whatever we continued to fundraise for, the trust would be about helping people who maybe in their day-to-day life didn’t have access to such opportunities.

The Heart Behind the charity

Ruby: How does the Amy’s Trust Charity reflect Amy and Sharon’s values?

Polly: When you step back, Sharon lost her husband and her only child. No one could criticise if Sharon had just chosen to close herself off. But even in the depths of her grief, her priority was to look after us as Amy’s friends. For those of us who wanted to continue to fundraise and be involved, she wanted us to have that focus and purpose so that we didn’t spiral.

The values of Amy’s Trust—Healing, Connection, Trust, and Nature—really capture what both Amy and Sharon stood for. The healing aspect comes from their own journey through difficult times, anchored by their connection with animals. Trust was fundamental to their approach to relationships—there was never any judgment. And nature, particularly through horses, was their constant grounding force.

Ruby: There’s something special about this land, isn’t there?

Polly: It’s magical.

Ruby: When I first came to see the land when it came up for sale, I couldn’t believe it existed. With the woodland, the fields, and what we call “the pond” with all the trees around it—it’s just magic.

Polly: Standing here today seeing these beautiful horses, I feel like Amy and Sharon are here in spirit.

Looking Forward

Ruby: What does the future hold for Amy’s Trust?

Polly: This whole project mirrors those key themes we’ve talked about—that sense of community, of inclusion, of healing. It’s no one person; the whole thing is so much bigger than any individual. It doesn’t matter what your profession is or where you came from. We didn’t know each other before this, and our lives on paper are completely different, but we’re both able to contribute and nurture this vision.

I promised Sharon that I would do whatever I could to keep Amy’s legacy and Sharon’s ambitions alive. And here we are in 2025, on 15 acres of land with horses, creating a space where healing can happen through that special connection that meant so much to Amy and Sharon.

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Amy’s Trust continues to fundraise and develop our Equine Facilitated Learning programs. To learn more about our work or how you can support us, please visit our website or contact us directly.