Sphere rides in for ‘uplifting’ story of kindness from O’Rourke and Fairbain

Sphere has secured Only Heroes and Horses: The Heartwarming True Story of Park Lane Stables by Natalie O’Rourke and Emily Fairbairn.

Publishing director Emily Barrett acquired world rights directly from the author. Only Heroes and Horses will be published in hardback, e-book and audio in May 2022.

O’Rourke is the founder of Park Lane Stables, which is designed for children and adults with disabilities, additional needs and anyone who needs a friend. Her desire to create this sanctuary for humans and animals began when O’Rourke was a girl who, somewhat lonely, found companionship and happiness through horses. She wanted to bring this hope to others.

The book charts the bumpy journey to build O’Rourke’s dream and the hardship brought on by the Covid-19 pandemic. Despite the financial strain incurred by the crisis, the stables’ “Pavement Ponies” visited the community to bring cheer and positivity. However, when O’Rourke’s landlord decided to sell the stables and delivered a £1m ultimatum to buy the plot of land Park Lane Stables faced its biggest obstacle yet. O’Rourke’s fundraising efforts reached national attention when she appeared, alongside Rob Brydon, in a BBC Breakfast interview at the start of 2021 which captured the heart of publishing director Barrett. 

Only Heroes and Horses is a “book infused with love, strength and hope on every page – a testament to human kindness that won’t fail to leave its readers uplifted or with a tear in their eye”.

Barrett said: “I, like hundreds of thousands of others, first came across Natalie in a BBC Breakfast interview at the beginning of 2021 where she – and the magnificent Rob Brydon – set out the extraordinary things that Park Lane Stables had achieved and begged viewers to help raise money to buy their premises so that their work could continue. When we later sat down to talk about a book to tell the whole – and extraordinary – story of how the stables came to be and what it’s managed to do, I was blown away (and just a little bit weepy!). Natalie is a force of nature in the best possible way; what she does for her community is priceless and I am so pleased her (and her colleagues’) efforts have been recognised recently at the Sun’s televised ‘Who Cares Wins’ award ceremony and with an MBE in the recent New Year’s honours. Working with her on this book has been such an uplifting experience – I can’t adequately describe to you what a gem of a person Natalie is, but readers of the book will get a very good idea! This book is a testament to what humans can achieve through kindness, optimism and tenacity; the absolute best heartwarming summer read you can hope for.”

O’Rourke commented: “I’ve always passionately believed that horses have magical healing powers which can benefit everyone, not just a privileged few. This book is my chance to spread that message as loudly and widely as I can, because the story of Park Lane Stables shows it so well. I hope that by sharing my many ups and downs through my life I might help anyone struggling to believe in themselves and their dreams to not give up.”