The Jockey Club Celebrates 10 Years of Partnership with The Barrie Wells Trust

The Jockey Club is proud to be celebrating 10 years of partnership with The Barrie Wells Trust. Through the organisation’s Box4Kids initiative, the partnership has helped to deliver happiness to seriously ill and disabled children and their families by offering access to executive boxes at various Jockey Club venues, providing a VIP experience in the process. The boxes on offer at The Jockey Club’s racecourses not only offer luxury, but also serve as a safe and comfortable space for children with complex medical needs. 

The partnership between the Barrie Wells Trust and The Jockey Club started in 2015 at Aintree and Haydock Park Racecourses. The Box4Kids initiative includes donations of executive boxes, refreshments as well as once-in-a-lifetime experiences such as presenting awards or selecting the best turned out horse.

Over the last 10 years, this collaboration has allowed over 4,300 guests to attend one of the circa 300 Box4Kids events at Jockey Club venues. Barrie Wells MBE, Chairman and founder of Box4Kids, was joined today (Thursday) by several Box4Kids children to enjoy Aintree’s hospitality on Opening Day of the Randox Grand National Festival, and he thanked The Jockey Club for a “great day out”.

 He said: “It’s an incredible thing that it’s been 10 years – it’s just become bigger and bigger. Twenty per cent of Box4Kids is The Jockey Club. “The families all love it here at Aintree. There’s good, friendly food for the kids and it’s a safe space, because they’ve all got hospital issues. And all the families have gone through the same problems with illnesses.

 “There’s children here with Leukaemia, some with Down’s syndrome and others with cystic fibrosis. A combination of different things, but the families have lived through it. “So, the families all get dressed up, and the kids turn up nice and smart – it’s a great day out.”

 Scarlett Cripps, 11, from Basingstoke, who has Chiari malformation type 1 – where the lower part of the brain pushes down into the spinal canal – and neurological disorder Syringomyelia, enjoyed her Aintree day out in an executive box. She said: “I’ve been to Box4Kids events for quite a few years now, and it’s such an amazing and important charity that gives kids amazing days out. 

“It’s amazing here at Aintree – I love watching horseracing. It just feels really nice to be in this lovely room, and the food has been really nice. I’ve had chicken nuggets, sausage, roll and potatoes. “Aintree is very big and there’s loads of people, so it’s very busy. Luckily, we have got the sun.” 

Jackie Wild, 55, from Wirral, helps to host events for Box4Kids after first taking her nine-year-old son Elliot to a Barrie Wells Trust event at Aintree in 2011. Elliot passed away from a rare form of leukaemia just weeks later, and Jackie now helps Barrie to host Box4Kids events. 

She said: “As always, The Jockey Club are so good to us. Barrie brought me on board and made me a trustee of the charity, because I can articulate how the parents are feeling and how the children are feeling. “I find it quite humbling to do it. I just know how important it is for families and for children who are going through really, really serious illnesses.

“They just forget about hospital, about medication and they just have a wonderful day. “It’s great to see the parents loving seeing their children happy and forgetting everything about their illnesses. “The children are protected here in a box today. They have the best view, the best experience and it’s something we couldn’t afford or buy and The Jockey Club opened the doors for us. “It’s just wonderful what they do, and they really look after us so well, so we can’t thank them enough.” 

James Holcroft, 20, from Chorley, first went to a Box4Kids event nine years ago when he was suffering from Leukaemia, and he now helps Barrie by hosting events, including at Aintree on Opening Day. He said: “I started coming to Box4Kids events when I was 11, when I was ill with Leukaemia, and I now help Barrie host some of the events. 

“I’ve been there myself where I’ve been ill and coming to these events, and it’s a great space to have. Everyone can understand what each other is going through. “It’s my first time at Aintree, and it’s fantastic to see the racecourse and the atmosphere building.” 

Barrie Wells added: “I would like to thank each and every member of The Jockey Club team, who make such incredible, life-long memories for the seriously ill and disabled children we support. “Attending a Jockey Club event allows the children to leave their everyday lives of hospitals, surgery and medication behind and focus on being children. All The Jockey Club racecourses support this so well, treating them like the stars they are at each and every event. “We have enjoyed 10 incredible years at The Jockey Club racecourses across the UK and we are looking forward to the continuation of our long and wonderful partnership.” 

Charlie Boss, Interim CEO of The Jockey Club, added: “Everyone at The Jockey Club is delighted and proud to celebrate 10 years with the Barrie Wells Trust supporting their Box4Kids initiative, alongside being an Official Charity Partner. “Over that decade we have seen first-hand the incredible work Box4Kids does to bring joy to seriously ill or physically challenged children by giving the unique VIP experiences across our 15 racecourses. “Box4Kids has already provided some respite to over 4,000 children and families to date, and we look forward to continuing to support the Barrie Wells Trust to grow that impact.”