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York Racecourse Ebor Community Fund 21 August 2019

Sky Bet Ebor Community Fund: Final 22 announced

The final 22 local charities and community groups that could benefit to the tune of £5,000 from the inaugural Sky Bet Ebor Community Fund have been announced.

York Racecourse and Sky Bet are teaming up to celebrate their partnership over York’s most famous race, the Ebor and are turning furlongs into funding for a local community cause with a £5,000 grant to a community project or charity based in and around York.

James Brennan, Head of Marketing at York Racecourse said: “It’s a way to help further connect the famous race and our local community; we hope it all adds to the rich story of the Ebor. York Racecourse is proud to have been in the city since 1731 and is delighted to be in partnership with our Yorkshire-based sponsor to support a valuable community project or charity.”

The Final 22

The 2019 Sky Bet Ebor Community Fund offers 22 local organisations a chance to win £5,000 if their allocated horse wins the Sky Bet Ebor.

Local charities and community groups were asked to nominate a project or cause for a chance to receive the cash prize. The applications were oversubscribed and a draw has given a chance to the organisations listed below.

The contenders include a mix of community groups and charities, some of which are looking for help towards a big fundraising drive, others for the type of support that supports their core work:

  • Stall 1 Door 84: Cleonte – No 21
    • Local youth group, wanting to buy specially adapted bikes for use with disabled
  • Stall 2 MySight York: Mustajeer – No 17
    • Would support volunteer home visits to the 6,000 blind or partially sighted residents of the city.
  • Stall 3 York City Football Club Foundation: Mekong – No 10
    • To support their “sporting memories” sessions, where those suffering from dementia are helped by a welcoming environment to talk about their sporting memories
  • Stall 4 York Samaritans: Making Miracles – No 20
    • Focused on their work with students at the city’s two universities; tragically an average of nearly 100 students take their own lives each year.
  • Stall 5 The Wilberforce Trust: True Self – No 11
    • To make a sensory garden with local artwork to be enjoyed by visually impaired.
  • Stall 6 Ryedale Dog Rescue: Withhold – No 1
    • Formed in 2005, a typical year sees 70 dogs pass through their entirely voluntary care; this will help fund food, vet bills as they await a forever home
  • Stall 7 York Bike Belles: The Grand Visir – No 22
    • To buy additional rickshaws that mean volunteers can pedal the housebound and elderly around our beautiful roman city.
  • Stall 8 Kitchen for Everyone York (KEY): Barsanti – No 18
    • Already providing an evening meal and breakfast to those in need, the grant would allow them to extend the services to offer a mobile dentist
  • Stall 9 St Leonards Hospice: Raheen House – No 7
    • Sadly with over 300 in-patients alone every year, this local hospice which is within a mile of the track simply needs any help in funding its activities; their government grant is only enough to meet the bills to April each year!
  • Stall 10 Friends of Newton’s River Derwent: Max Dynamite – No 9
    • One oy Yorkshire lesser known rivers, the village group will tidy the tow path and fund information boards for walkers about the river, local wildlife and fauna
  • Stall 11 Different Strokes York: Dramatic Queen – No 19
    • Cleverly named for those of us who remember “Arnold and Willis” from the TV show of the same name; this group need funding to do more with survivors of stroke, their focus is the younger sufferers and getting them back “out and about”
  • Stall 12 Dementia Yorkshire: Red Galileo – No 12
    • Will fund activities that help engage sufferers such as silent discos
  • Stall 13 York & District Group Riding for the Disabled Association: Wells Farhh Go – No 2
    • Currently 10 ponies support this charity; food, vet bills, tack, all need funding
  • Stall 14 Encephalitis Society: Red Verdon – No 3
    • To support the development and roll out of a specialist app, Brainwalk, to assist those with brain injuries
  • Stall 15 Stamford Bridge Community Pool: Desert Skyline – No 16
    • The Pool costs £100 a day just to operate, a new cover for the pool would be the first use for the grant.
  • Stall 16 York Cares: Prince of Arran – No 8
    • This charity works to connect volunteers from local business with the right charity project for their skill sets; it might just be a drop in centre for the vulnerable.
  • Stall 18 York RI RUFC-Streamers: Baghdad – No 13
    • To take what it is termed a “mixed ability” team (by age, size, shape, disability) to a tournament in Cork
  • Stall 19 York Respiratory Group: King’s Advice – No 4
    • To fund portable equipment to help patients from Ward 34 have a day out of hospital
  • Stall 21 Tadcaster Volunteer Car Service Associations: Raymond Tusk – No 6
    • Exactly as it sounds, helping those who need transport in the neighbouring town
  • Stall 22 City of York Hockey Club: Ben Vrackie – No 15
    • To establish a Flyerz section of the club, so making the sport more accessible.
  • Stall 23 Ryedale & District Mencap: Weekender – No 5
    • Zumba, dance, craft activities for sufferers would all be funded.
  • Stall 24 East Cottingwith Village Hall: Kelly’s Dino – No 14
    • To modernise facilities in the Hall, notably disabled access and toilet.

Julia Clark from the Encephalitis Society, said: “Thank you so much! We’ll be delighted to attend. One of the team, Caroline is a former racehorse trainer so we will be eagerly studying the form of our horse and look forward to the day.”

Josey Hall from Ryedale and District Mencap added: “A big thank you to all those involved for offering this fabulous opportunity. The prize money would really be phenomenal but even the exposure we will get just taking part means an awful lot to a grass roots charity like us.”

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