- Over £2.2m fundraised and donated through racecourse charitable activity during 2019 for 250+ charities
- 455 racecourse team members volunteered 3,100+ hours
- 10,382 free tickets were claimed through Tickets for Troops
- Racing’s national day of volunteering, Racing Together Community Day saw 65 racing teams volunteering in their local area
- 372 free, curriculum-based school trips were hosted at racecourses in 2019 for 15,011 students
Racing Together and the Racecourse Association (RCA) are delighted to publish details of the 2019 racecourse audit on community engagement activity.
Over 90% of British racecourses have shared details of last year’s community engagement activities as part of the annual survey, which covered topics such as volunteering, fundraising, donations raised and charity partnerships.
Two stand-out examples of racing’s contribution to community causes are York Racecourse’s established Macmillan Raceday, which raised over £600,000 last year, and the Magnolia Cup at Goodwood, which was a huge success in promoting the charity’s work and by contributing almost £200,000 in funds for Wellbeing of Women.
Almost 50,000 tickets were donated to the charity Tickets for Troops, and racecourses routinely support their local charities and causes in this way. Racing to School welcomed a record 15,000 young people across 372 activity learning days, the majority of which were hosted at racecourses.
The survey revealed that 64% of respondents have an established community programme, with 89% discussing community and CSR reports at a senior level. Community partnerships are now commonplace – 80% in 2019. Almost three quarters of respondents donate excess food and flowers to local good causes when fixtures are abandoned.
Links to individual case studies here: http://www.racingtogether.co.uk/case-studies/
Link to photos and videos from 2019 community engagement activity: https://www.dropbox.com/sh/15lmhc1ii00y1c4/AADdwm4m8pS6p8gJuK6V1ijBa?dl=0
View and download the Racing Together brochure showcasing racing’s community engagement activity here: http://www.racingtogether.co.uk/resources/
Lucy Gurney, Community Engagement Manager at Racing Together said: “We know that community engagement activity has been growing across racing, and to see this evidenced in these results is brilliant.
“We are proud to support and showcase racing’s community engagement activity and look forward to continuing to help racecourses and racing businesses to be a force for good in their local communities this year. Racing Together Community Day, racing’s national day of volunteering, takes place on Thursday 7th May.”
Paul Swain, Brand & Experience Manager at the RCA, commented: “The Racing Together audit has given us a multitude of good stories which demonstrate that as well as being first-class sporting venues, British Racecourses can leverage the power of racing to serve as hubs which benefit the interests of their local communities.
“Alongside Racing Together, the RCA is excited to continue to work with our member racecourses to promote community engagement and share both the significant impact and fantastic stories generated with the nation.”
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