Life-saving initiative scoops award for Uttoxeter Racecourse

Uttoxeter overcame very strong competition to win the 2018 Community & Corporate Social Responsibility Award at the RCA Showcase & Awards, held at Aintree Racecourse. Uttoxeter – Saving 75 Lives was the simple message behind the racecourse’s aim to raise awareness of prostate cancer. Targeting local men over the age of 50, the racecourse worked alongside charitable trust, the ‘Uttoxeter Lions’ to offer free prostate cancer screening. The results were quite astounding as 75, or 15%, of the 510 men involved were provided with a ‘red flag’ indicating that they were in some way at risk. As a direct result of this community engagement, these men were able to take preventative action that otherwise they may never have considered.

Speaking to John Blake of Racing Together at the Awards, David MacDonald, Executive Director of Uttoxeter Racecourse, said “What better thing can you do than save lives?”

John Blake of Racing Together (left) congratulates David MacDonald of Uttoxeter Racecourse (right)

There was a record entry in this award category, which included hosts Aintree Racecourse, who were seeking a fourth straight win. Ascot’s focussed activities across its community also made the shortlist, so too the concerted efforts by Warwick Racecourse to further establish itself as a vital cog within the local business network. Shortlisted last year, Beverley Racecourse was the final programme considered by the judges and although their contact the elderly initiative did not take top spot, the racecourse team was rewarded with the Outstanding Initiative Award for their accessibility programme ‘Everyone Back to Ours’.

There is no doubt that the UK’s racecourses are demonstrating creativity and investment in their community engagement programmes. Researching local needs and engaging with local partners is a strategy that is clearly working and is being taken up by racecourses nationwide.

Hamilton Park were short-listed in four categories, winning #TopSpot for their innovative ‘starting stalls lift’ and at the end of the evening were crowned overall Showcase Champions.