Gerald Leigh Charitable Trust And Racing To School Renew Partnership

Racing to School and the Gerald Leigh Charitable Trust have renewed their partnership for an additional two years that will allow the latter to continue assisting young people in hard-to-reach areas, the duo announced on Wednesday.

Already in its third year, the partnership has assisted over 600 young people from rural, inner city and deprived areas in 2023. The aim is to expose more young people to free, interactive, and healthy outdoor educational events for schools, staged at a variety of racing venues through the Racing to School experience.

John Blake, chief executive of Racing to School, said, “Developing this special partnership with the Gerald Leight Charitable Trust has helped widen our scope to support new beneficiaries, and the racing industry. We are already working alongside other partners with similar objectives, which is very exciting.”

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Racing Together Community Day Aims for Record Numbers

Racing Together, the industry's community engagement partnership, will host the 2024 community day on Wednesday, May 8 to coincide with the Boodles May Festival at Chester Racecourse, the organisation announced on Monday via press release.

British horseracing's national day of employee volunteering, the effort is supported by various charity and commercial partners with a focus on horseracing and bloodstock groups to give back as a team to their communities. Activities range from staff volunteering at local care homes to renovating stables, and picking up litter or collecting for local food banks.

In 2023, a record 75-plus groups took part with over 700 hours hours of manpower donated, an effort which included Tattersalls and Goffs as well as trainers nationwide, insurance brokers and the British Horseracing Authority (BHA).

“It is a fantastic opportunity to showcase the social impact of racing and have some fun while doing it. We have already had lots of sign-ups and activity ideas for this year, so we are optimistic in beating the 75 organisations that were involved last year,” said Alex Shaw, the community engagement manager at Racing Together. “Assessing local need and getting people mobilized is the hallmark of this day; we also encourage colleagues unable to commit their time in early May to book in an activity which suits their calendars and to still be part of this industry-wide initiative.”

Anyone who would like to sign up is encouraged to visit the website or send in an email for more information.

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National Racehorse Week, In Third Year, Deemed A Success

The third annual National Racehorse Week, from Sept. 9-17 in the UK, has been deemed a success after a record number of open days and community events, Great British Racing (GBR), who funds the initiative alongside the Racing Foundation and Horserace Betting Levy Board (HBLB), announced on Tuesday.

Over 15,000 free places were made available across the seven days across the country for the public to come and experience a day in the life of a racehorse. From training facilities and studs, to aftercare and rehoming centres, 209 different events took place showcasing the care and attention racehorses receive every day. The week provided a platform to create a lasting impact on those who are not familiar with racing or who don't have the opportunity to get close to a horse in everyday life.

In research undertaken after the week had finished, 94% of people said the experience had left them with a better understanding about and a positive impression of welfare. And 92% of attendees who were new to racing said their opinion had been positively changed about the lives racehorses lead.

There were also a total of 60 dedicated community events focused on outreach, a 300% uplift from last year. These events were supported by Racing Together and Racing to School with more than 3,000 people from schools, charities, urban equestrian centres and community groups getting involved with behind-the-scenes access to racing facilities.

The events included:

 

  • Paul Nicholls hosted a special visit for Dame Kelly Homes Trust beneficiaries, NHS and Emergency Service workers
  • Ian Williams hosted members of the RMF Group, an organisation that offer industry focused training courses to ex-offenders, veterans, the homeless, and residents who are long-term unemployed
  • Jo Foster took racehorse Sigurd to eight community events including schools, care homes and to charities like Mind and dementia groups
  • Aftercare centres including New Beginnings, HEROS, BTRC, Greatwood and Yorkshire retraining and rehoming centre took their retired racehorse ambassadors out to schools and care homes
  • Dan Skelton and Oliver Greenall & Josh Guerriero hosted children with serious illnesses from the Barrie Well's Trust Box4Kids initiative
  • Godolphin, Ben Case and Dave Loughnane hosted urban equestrian centres including Summerfield Stables from Birmingham, Park Lane Stables from London, and Park Palace Ponies from Liverpool.

 

Rod Street, CEO Great British Racing, said, “National Racehorse Week creates a unique opportunity for the British Racing industry to unite and showcase to the public the high levels of care that our equine stars receive throughout their entire lives. It also allows racing to open its doors and welcome people of all ages and backgrounds to experience the joy of getting close to a racehorse.

“There are so many highlights from the week, but the ones that stand out for me include the significant increase in young people attending open days this year, especially those aged between 10-14 years, and the impact we had on visitors. Our research shows that 94% of people who came to an open day now have a positive impression of equine welfare, and 92% of those who were new to racing or not regular racegoers said their opinion had been positively changed by the experience. This shows the power of what racing can achieve when it comes together.

“We must thank everyone involved in this special week for showing off the very best of British racing and hopefully helping to inspire a new generation of racing fans.”

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Racing to School Renews Council for Learning Outside the Classroom Accreditation

Racing to School has had its accreditation by the Council for Learning Outside the Classroom (CLOtC) extended for a further two years, the organisation announced Monday. The charity offers young people a high-quality outdoor learning experience and introduces many participants to horse racing for the first time by bringing the curriculum to life using racing's unique venues.

John Blake, Chief Executive of Racing to School said, “To be awarded the Learning Outside the Classroom (LOtC) Quality Badge once again is testament to our team's efforts to achieve high quality interventions for our beneficiaries, even as we have expanded our work to record levels.”

Held by some of the leading providers of educational visits, the LOtC Quality Badge is endorsed by the Department for Education and the Outdoor Education Advisers' Panel Cymru.

Dr Anne Hunt, Chief Executive of CLOtC said: “Educational visits are among the most memorable experiences in a child's school life. The LOtC Quality Badge offers teachers the reassurance that the venue is providing high quality educational experiences and have the appropriate risk management structures in place, meaning less paperwork for schools and peace of mind for teachers. I congratulate Racing to School on being awarded the LOtC Quality Badge.”

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