RCA Racing Together Community Award 2024: Focus on the finalists

In the final part of this short series, we focus on the last (but not least) of this year’s finalists for the RCA Showcase Community Award, The Jockey Club, and what it was about their initiative that caught the judge’s eye.

Gallagher Community Partnership

With 15 racecourses across the country, the Jockey Club is the largest racecourse group in Britain. Their mission was to enhance and develop the positive impact their partnership with Gallagher has within local communities by offering experiences outside of racedays for younger audiences, particularly those from diverse and disadvantaged communities, and providing access to racing yards, studs and racecourses. They also wanted to showcase the breadth and diverse nature of career opportunities found within the industry.

In addition, they also hoped to facilitate opportunities to interact with racehorses and for the young people to experience the resulting physical and mental benefits.

Nationwide reach

At the time of submission, the Jockey Club had facilitated eight experience days – four Junior (8-13yrs) and four Youth (14-18yrs) and worked with the Rio Ferdinand Foundation to reach the most diverse communities from across the country, including Manchester, Liverpool, London and Cambridge. 

Attendees on the Youth programme had the opportunity to visit a yard and understand the daily routine for both staff and horses, as well getting hands-on by grooming and feeding. They then moved on to a racecourse where they were given the chance to go behind the scenes and hear from staff about roles both at the Jockey Club and within Gallagher, and from industry figures such as Sir AP McCoy, Rachael Blackmore and Frankie Foster.

The Junior experience was part of a collaboration with Racing to School that offers local school-aged children access racecourses and the wider racing industry, with ‘Festival Monday’ at Cheltenham being a prime example. Around 100 children from 5 local primary schools are welcomed to the course to see the inner workings and meet some of the sport’s biggest stars, both human and equine. They also were given access to have their photographs taken with the Gold Cup.

Melissa Fordham from the Rio Ferdinand Foundation said “What we have found is that the people we are bringing from these city centres, especially London, have never seen a horse. The thought of touching a horse, going up to the horse and spending some time with the horse, it’s amazing that even after just a short amount of time, they don’t want to leave it. And then they ask, how do we get into this? And a realisation that you can still work the animals but in a business role or a hospitality role or even media and comms…this partnership creates these opportunities for young people to come along, dabble a little bit in different carers and see people on the ground in these careers.”

Facts, figures and legacy

• The Jockey Club and Gallagher Community Partnership is the first philanthropic sponsorship of its kind in the industry and is purely community-led
• 450 have attended so far, with 320 more before the end of 2024
• 19 different schools and organisations have engaged so far
• One 14-year old attendee from 2023 has spent a day’s work experience, at her request, at Gallagher and remains in contact
• Another attendee was invited to spend a day with an owner following a visit to Jonjo O’Neil’s yard
• 39% increased awareness of Gallagher amongst horse racing fans

Ongoing engagement with previous Youth programme attendees is planned for 2025, inviting them back to a raceday in hospitality and have follow-up conversations around careers and aspirations.

Grant Rowley, Strategic Communications Lead, The Jockey Club, said: “We were delighted to launch this ground-breaking partnership with our first community partner, Gallagher as we’re both passionate about supporting our communities and showcasing our fantastic sport. We want to encourage more youngsters who traditionally would not have the opportunity to come to a racecourse or be inspired by a thoroughbred, and perhaps consider the racing industry as a career choice. There are hugely diverse roles available, beyond just the jockeys we see on the racecourses, all offering great future progression. We’ve been delighted with the many unique experiences the young people have enjoyed across Cheltenham, Aintree, Newmarket and Epsom and at local yards such as Jackdaws Castle and Manor House Stables, and look forward to many more in the years ahead.” 

Who will win the Racing Together Community Award at the RCA Showcase ceremony? We’ll be bringing you all the highlights and catching up with the winner next week.