Happy Christmas from Racing to School
Racing to School is very proud to have supported the learning of over 17,000 young people at 456 events – another record year of engagement with young people.
The charity’s mission is to offer our unique, free-to-user outdoor and inclusive learning opportunities to a diverse range of young people across GB, and this would not be possible without the generous support of all our partners and donors.
Growing Partnerships maximise impact
Running racing’s largest community programme relies on collaboration and goodwill and we are fortunate to have so many partners within and outside the industry to support us to achieve our shared aims.
The second Leger Wednesday took place in September during our busiest National Racehorse Week yet, with 10 events taking place nationwide. This key industry week is firmly in the charity’s calendar and presents an opportunity to deliver our education work at friendly and varied training yards. It is so special for our young people to learn even more about the sport and how dedicated the teams are when caring for the equine stars.
This year we welcomed new supporters, The Good Racing Company and Care Love Learn Childcare and Venatour Racing Social, who joined established partners such as the Horserace Betting Levy Board, Gerald Leigh Charitable Trustand The Sir Peter O’Sullevan Charitable Trust – all of these committed donors helped us to reach this record number of participants across our programmes.
In with the new
With the support of our Teachers’ Advisory Group and the horseracing industry, we updated our workbook, which is our key learning tool in meeting the needs of our young people.
One exciting addition is the new, ‘exclusive’ artwork (below) from renowned cartoonist Darren ‘Birdie’ Bird that features on the front cover. We hope you agree that it embodies the spirit of a Racing to School day.
Darren also gives up his time each year to share his skills with pupils as part of the Newmarket Godolphin Beacon Project. He said: “I’m very proud to have the opportunity to work alongside Racing to School in the fantastic work they do. Engaging with the next generation of racegoers in fun, informative and creative ways is the best way for them to learn how amazing this great sport is!”
Through the support of Weatherbys, we have introduced reusable lanyards and name tags for our school groups, helping our team to create a more personal ‘VIP’ experience for participants.
A bumper summer
Even when our popular Schools’ Programme takes a break for the summer holidays, our team are still active working with different groups of young people.
The Pony Racing Pathway, delivered in collaboration with the Pony Racing Authority, Careers in Racing and the Pony Club, completed its fourth year. A total of 56 events took place at racecourses and camps for Pony Club members and other young people interested in discovering more racing’s many career opportunities.
Racing to School is proud to be the founding charity partner of the Racing League competition, and the partnership took on a special event held at Windsor-based Trevelyan Middle School. The team went into school to create another unique day of learning that followed on from the pupils’ recent visit to Ascot racecourse.
Throughout August the charity is present as each of the family-friendly themed fixtures with our equicisers to entertain and guide some budding jockeys of the future.
Our dedicated people
We are very fortunate to have such a supportive team of Ambassadors, and this year we were pleased to welcome Jockey Rachael Blackmore as an International Supporter. Similarly, we must thank our dedicated and voluntary Board of Trustees who bring a wealth of knowledge and enthusiasm in support our ambitions.
As our work grows, so does our team and we were pleased to welcome new colleague Gareth Leonard to our Programme Delivery Team. Learn more about Gareth here.
One for the diary:
Racing Together Industry Day – Transactional or Transformational: the real value of racing
As lead of the Racing Together partnership, which showcases the sport’s growing commitment to community engagement, we look forward to hosting Racing Together Industry Day 2025 at Nottingham racecourse on Thursday 6thFebruary. Early-bird tickets are now on sale and can be purchased by clicking on the graphic below.
We wish you a happy and restful festive break and look forward to opening up the exciting world of racing to even more young people in 2025!
Above all…thank you
We should like to say a special thank you to all our supporters; the Levy Board; racing stakeholders; charitable trusts; racecourses; Pony Club Branches and Centres, schools and colleges and the many individuals who underpin the effectiveness of our work.
Please consider supporting us today through a donation to our charity; or by running an event or activity on our behalf (contact jen@racingtoschool.co.uk).
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