Strong competition for this year’s Community & CSR Category

The prestigious RCA Showcase & Awards is just three days away and is hosted this year by Aintree racecourse – the home of the Grand National being live contenders in two categories, including Showcase Champions, which they hope to retain.

Racing Together takes a closer look at the submissions for the fiercely competitive Community & CSR Category, which received a record number of entries.

“It is so encouraging to see all the community work being undertaken by racecourses nationwide, and the obvious pride that they feel about their contributions to the needs and challenges of their neighbours,” said Racing Together Community Engagement Manager Adam Harman.

The Famous Five…

Beverley Racecourse
In partnership with ‘Contact the Elderly’, Beverley Racecourse created a series of tea parties, and started an awareness and recruitment campaign based around tackling loneliness amongst elderly people in their local community.

Warwick Racecourse
The Warwick management team sought to place the racecourse in the heart of the local community with an ambitious community matrix strategy. The racecourse has attempted to become an active member of the local business network and enter into all things local, which has seen fantastic results with the neighbouring population.

Aintree Racecourse
Looking for a fourth straight win in this Award category, Aintree continue to develop their community programme. This year they have added to their impressive repertoire of community partnership, adding the new military veterans programme in partnership with ‘Veterans of Sefton & Liverpool’: providing tours, visits and education programmes for local military veterans.

Uttoxeter – Saving 75 Lives
Partnering with the ‘Uttoxeter Lions’, the racecourse delivered free prostate cancer screening to 510 men from the town, remarkably providing 75 men with a red warning to allow them to take preventative action, which otherwise may have gone unnoticed.

Ascot Racecourse
Ascot has been focusing on bringing all of Ascot’s community and charity work together into one programme to benefit the local community. Partnerships with local residents, school children, community and care groups has allowed Ascot to have a significant impact on all parts of the local community.

The judging panel, which has already had to cut down the double-figure entry to the final five, face an unenviable task to crown a winning racecourse. Good luck to all.