RCA Racing Together Community Award 2024: Focus on the finalists

This week we are taking a look at the five finalists in the Racing Together Community Award category at the RCA Showcase Awards, taking place next week. Each of the finalists offer a unique community-focused initiative that really caught the judges’ eye.

Our third finalist in the series is Royal Windsor Racecourse…

Racing community with a charitable mission

Royal Windsor Racecourse wanted to align the racing community with a charitable mission by closely collaborating with a designated charity partner, selected from the 26 charities they had worked with over the previous year. They wanted to make the chosen charity feel part of the racecourse, aimed to raise over £100,000 and create a longstanding legacy.

Following a conversation with a trainer whose wife had sadly lost her battle with ovarian cancer, and having two key members of staff in remission from the disease, Windsor Racecourse chose to work with Target Ovarian.

Charity takeover

Target Ovarian were invited to be lead partners on Ladies’ Day and the racecourse was flooded with the charity colours to show support and highlight the impact the racing industry can have.

On the evening itself, all staff wore the colours of the charity and all trees on site were wrapped to match. In addition, all paraded horses wore Target Ovarian rugs and all stablehands and equine staff had Target Ovarian pin badges. 

Regular adverts were shown on all screens throughout the day, offering a QR code for people to donate, alongside a more traditional charity stand and bucket collection. Joanna Barker, the founder of Target Ovarian, was also interviewed by the raceday commentator to further increase racegoer awareness. Additionally, the racecourse donated prizes towards the charity’s silent auction, provided a social media presence both prior to and on the event day itself, and donated a race title – ‘Support Target Ovarian Cancer & Save Lives’ – for the evening.

Facts, figures and legacy

• Windsor Racecourse contributed to raising over £100,000 by donating a significant prize to the silent auction
• Over 10,000 people were reached via local and national media coverage
• £2000 raised by bucket collections

The Target Ovarian raceday will now be established as a yearly tradition and the racecourse’s partnership with the charity will continue to evolve and grow.

Hannah Chree, Deputy General Manager at Royal Windsor Racecourse said “The Target Ovarian charity was one that sat close to Royal Windsors heart, a few of our staff have unfortunately been affected by this disease and are currently in remission now.

Additionally, this partnership brings a sense of unity to racegoers, staff, and the Windsor community, as they rally together for a common cause, making Windsor Racecourse not only a venue for entertainment but also a platform for meaningful social impact. By choosing Target Ovarian Cancer as a charity partner, Windsor Racecourse has helped to amplify the charity’s message and bring hope and change to those affected by ovarian cancer.

We hope to host and grow this event every year to keep Target Ovarian very much at the forefront of peoples minds.”

Lauren Josman, Head of Philanthropy & Partnerships added “In the UK, there are 41,000 women living with ovarian cancer and another 7000 diagnosed each year. Thanks to this event, we can continue to improve early diagnosis, fund life-saving research, and provide much-needed support for those affected. We couldn’t have done this without the support of Royal Windsor Racecourse.”

Will the fantastic efforts in supporting such an important cause see Royal Windsor Racecourse win the Community Award? Find out soon. In the meantime, keep an eye out for the instalment in this short series tomorrow.