First #GoRacingGreen room opens at Nottingham

Nottingham Racecourse on 30th April opened the first #GoRacingGreen room, inspired by Debbie Matthews’ campaign to improve awareness and provide a welcoming space for those people living with autism, dementia or mental health issues.

Read Nottingham’s accessibility and sensory guides here.

The racecourse’s commitment doesn’t end there as their wider work alongside Debbie aims to improve accessibility for people with hidden disabilities, which includes raceday staff training, an updated access statement and a sensory guide.

The Nottingham team volunteered their time to re-decorate the #GoRacingGreen room last week, which also forms part of their contribution to this year’s Racing Together Community Day – racing’s national day of volunteering for the benefit of local communities.

Raceday staff member Les Graham said: “We had a training day before the racing season started, part of which included Debbie’s #GoRacingGreen training that focussed on helping us to understand the raceday experience from the perspective of someone living with autism, dementia or anxiety issues.

“I think it’s important that we should be able to help the general public if necessary, for example if someone is distressed or asks for help. The training is a valuable asset to the staff and the racecourse and I am proud to be part of a friendly and helpful team.”