Industry-wide Initiatives & Case Studies
Racecourses donating Tickets For Troops
Every British racecourse pledges to support Tickets for Troops each year, which equates to over 94,000 tickets donated since the scheme started.
Scottish Racing supporting Alzheimer Scotland
Scottish Racing and William Hill’s partnership in support of Alzheimer Scotland works with the charity to train raceday staff to be Dementia Friends, while raising important funds and awareness using Scotland’s five racecourses and William Hill’s betting shops to share knowledge.
Using the power of horseracing and the Grand National to inspire others
Aintree racecourse’s multiple award-winning community programme uses the power of horseracing and the Grand National to inspire children and adults alike to be the best that they can be. Their three key themes are Health and Wellbeing, Community Engagement and Education and Enterprise.
Britain’s biggest charity raceday: York Racecourse and Macmillan Cancer Support
Held in June, the Macmillan Charity Raceday at York Racecourse raises over £500,000 each year, totalling over £8.5 million since its inception almost 50 years ago.
The day includes a charity race: the Ernest Cooper Macmillan Ride of their Lives’, a skydive, auctions, raffles and bucket collections to support local cancer support services and nurses.
Ascot Racecourse supporting the local community and beyond
“Ascot Racecourse Supports” was launched in 2017 and brings together all Ascot Racecourse’s community and charity work into one programme for the benefit of the local community and beyond. Its goals are to support small, local charities and community groups with a focus on children and mental health issues, in addition to equine charities.
Their accessibility programme now includes a sunflower lanyard scheme, also in use at Sainsbury’s and some London airports, which allows racegoers to self-identify as having hidden disabilities, so that specially trained members of raceday staff can be prepared to offer additional help should they need it; in simple terms it’s about asking “How may I help you?” when approached. A new Sunflower Lawn is available at the dedicated fixtures, which is a quiet space for racegoers who might be struggling with hidden disabilities and anxiety disorders.
Using racing’s assets to inspire, support and offer opportunities to young people
Take The Reins is a unique collaboration between a charity, Active Communities Network, network partners Flying Futures and key players in the Horse Racing industry. Take the Reins delivers a year round programme of activity alongside local community groups, schools and youth organisations – including research projects, personal development programmes, accredited training courses, ambassador visits, open days and careers routes to utilise racing’s assets to inspire, support and offer opportunities to young people.
The Magnolia Cup
This renowned charity event sees riders who are the leading women of business, sport, fashion and media, take part in the opening race of Ladies’ Day at Glorious Goodwood, dressed in colourful bespoke silks.
The race made history last year, when Khadijah Mellah won the race aboard Charlie Fellowes-trained Haverland, having never ridden a racehorse a few months earlier, and learnt to ride at Ebony Horse Club in Brixton.
The Magnolia Cup is now in its tenth year and has raised over £1.5 million for a number of charities since its inception. The race itself is run over five-and-a-half-furlongs down Goodwood’s straight in front of a capacity crowd of 25,000.
In 2019 the race raised over £200,000 for Wellbeing of Women.
