Newbury Racecourse will throw its doors open to a significant number of first-time racegoers from a broad range of communities.
New partnerships with Community United and Castle School see Newbury host a raceday with a difference on Tuesday August 29.
Newbury is committed to making racing experiences as accessible as possible, and the Racecourse’s work with Community United and Castle School will see more than 550 people from the area – the majority of which are children and young people – given complimentary invitations to attend the Racecourse’s Community Raceday at the end of August.
A broad range of communities will be represented at the racecourse with a diverse programme of cultural activities – courtesy of performers from Zimbabwe, India, Cameroon and Afghanistan – to take place ahead of the day’s first race.
The programme of activities – which will include dance, music and poetry – is contributed by Community United, a community interest group working across the region and closely with West Berkshire Council and Newbury Town Council, to promote inclusivity, equality, and a sense of community for the diverse groups living and residing within the Racecourse’s catchment area.
Many of the performers will be enjoying live horse racing for the first time, as will the audience introduced by Newbury’s other new partner, The Castle School. The Castle school caters for children with a variety of complex learning difficulties and more than 175 youngsters, aged 3-19, along with their families have been invited to the racecourse’s Community Raceday.
The pupils and others in attendance will be able to make use of state-of-the-art multi-sensory equipment and resources, installed at the racecourse for the Community Raceday courtesy of Rhino UK, a leading provider of sensory experiences.
They will also be able to go behind the scenes at the racecourse, with free-to-access tours courtesy of former National Hunt jockey David Crosse.
Julian Thick, CEO of Newbury Racecourse, is delighted with the plans for the Community Raceday.
He said: “It is incredibly important for us to ensure we are giving all those in the local community the opportunity to enjoy racing here at Newbury. We are striving to work closely and collaboratively with community groups to achieve this and we are very much looking forward to welcoming a large number of first-time racegoers from diverse community groups..’’
Alice Kunjappy-Clifton, director of Community United, added: “Community United, with the support of the diverse communities which it serves, are extremely excited for this month’s Community Raceday.
“We’d like to thank Newbury Racecourse for their support and we look forward to introducing horse racing to a new audience for the very first time.
“Our work is centred on making a positive difference in the community and the upcoming Community Raceday is a wonderful opportunity to celebrate the different cultures in the local community.”
Newbury Racecourse welcomes groups from within the local community to get in touch to further help them achieve their aim of making the offerings at the Racecourse as accessible as possible.
Tickets for Newbury’s Community Raceday on Tuesday 29 August are available to purchase at https://newburyracecourse.co.uk/raceday/august-afternoon-racing/.
