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Category: Industry News

RACING WELFARE WELCOMES BHA SAFEGUARDING AND HUMAN WELFARE STRATEGY

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Last week, the BHA published an updated Safeguarding and Human Welfare Strategy, aimed at protecting and ensuring the safety and wellbeing of everyone involved in the sport.

 

As the industry’s primary human welfare charity, Racing Welfare fully supports and endorses the strategy and accompanying action plan, which demonstrates the sport’s governing body’s commitment to striving for the highest of standards regarding behaviours and working practices to create a safe, sustainable and enjoyable environment for all of racing’s people.

 

The data which has informed the strategy highlights there are key areas for improvement across the industry which clearly need to be addressed and currently fall short of the standards expected. We welcome the steps being taken to bring about positive change, both in terms of proactive and preventative measures which very much fits with Racing Welfare’s approach to wellbeing in the workplace, as well as the focus on reporting mechanisms and processes to highlight issues of concern.

 

The issues raised are not unique to racing and are reflective of wider society – however, the industry has a responsibility to come together to prevent and tackle these instances of unacceptable conduct, bullying, sexual misconduct, gender inequality and discrimination and create a culture of respect.

 

Racing Welfare is dedicated to supporting the welfare of people working in horseracing and has long championed the importance of wellbeing in the workplace. Our proactive community outreach work serves to keep wellbeing at the forefront of employers’ and employees’ minds, and our extensive educational programme reaches people from their point of entry into the industry through to those in senior positions. Our network of expert welfare officers provide ‘on the ground’ support for a range of life’s challenges, and often provide behind-the-scenes support for racing’s people during times of crisis. There is no doubt that the continuation of this work will directly contribute towards the delivery of some of the actions outlined in the strategy, and we hope to work collaboratively with the BHA to ensure Racing Welfare plays a key role.

 

Anyone who has been affected by any of the issues outlined in the report can contact Racing Welfare through our 24/7 Support Line on 0800 6300 443, or by speaking to one of our welfare officers based across the country.

 

We would encourage anyone who has experienced or witnessed improper conduct to report it via email to respect@britishhorseracing.com or by calling the BHA’s confidential reporting service, RaceWISE on 08000 852 580.

Aintree lunch raises in excess of £63,000 for racing’s people

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Nearly 450 supporters joined Racing Welfare at Aintree for their annual lunch on the opening day of the Randox Grand National festival.

The lunch, supported for the first time this year by the ROA, brought together supporters from across the racing industry to celebrate the charity’s work and to raise vital funds to support people working in the horseracing industry. The event was expertly compered by Gary Capewell, who spoke to Racing Welfare beneficiary, Hannah Benson, about the help she’d received after falling from a horse at work. She told the room: “Racing is extremely lucky to have Racing Welfare, it’s huge what the charity does.”

The event raised over £63,000 for Racing Welfare, with the live auction contributing more than £10,000 of that total. Top lots included bespoke colours from the BHA, an original artwork painted by Birdie during the event and a behind the scenes experience with ITV Racing.

Racing Welfare’s chief executive, Dawn Goodfellow, said: “Thank you to everyone that made the Aintree lunch such a success – it was wonderful to see so many people joining us from different corners of our industry. The funds raised are going to help us continue to provide our life-changing services to people like Hannah – we are really grateful to her for joining us at the event and sharing her story. Thanks also to the Jockey Club North West team and Jockey Club Catering for providing such a fantastic facility, and to everyone that donated in support of our auction and other fundraising activity on the day.”

 

ROA partnership yields more than £23,000 in 2022

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Nine months after announcing a formalised partnership with Racing Welfare, the Racehorse Owners Association (ROA) and its members have contributed £23,125 in vital funds to the industry’s people welfare charity.

Across the course of the year, the partnership has seen ROA sponsor both the Epsom Owners’ and Trainers’ and Northern Racing Awards, donate auction prizes, support Racing Welfare’s events at Woburn and Doncaster – as well as holding a fundraiser at the ROA Horseracing Awards in London. In recognition of this growing partnership, Racing Welfare’s uniforms now incorporate the ROA logo.

Racing Welfare Chief Executive, Dawn Goodfellow said: “Our relationship with the ROA has gone from strength to strength during 2022. It was a very positive step for that relationship to be formalised earlier this year, and we are ever grateful for the support that the organisation and its members have extended to us. Their collaboration on profile-raising events and activities has undoubtedly enabled us to reach and ultimately help more people working in our sport.

“We look forward to continuing our partnership with the ROA into 2023, which looks to be an exciting albeit challenging year for Racing Welfare.”

ROA’s Chief Executive, Charlie Liverton said: “The ROA’s partnership symbolises the relationship that owners have not just with their horse, but as importantly, with those that look after, educate and prime their horses for the racecourse. The importance of racing staff is recognised by all of us at the ROA and by working closely with Racing Welfare we have been able to ensure that critical support and training is delivered across the UK, day in, day out. We look forward to continuing our partnership with Racing Welfare into 2023 and beyond.”

The ROA’s partnership with Racing Welfare continues into 2023 with the organisation supporting the Racing Welfare Aintree Lunch on Thursday 13th April. Find out more here: https://racingwelfare.co.uk/events-archive/racing-welfare-aintree-lunch-supported-by-the-roa/

Racing Welfare staff join the Racing Together Community Day

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A record level of participation was achieved for the first Racing Together Community Day staged since 2019. The annual initiative, interrupted by the pandemic, is an opportunity for a range of racing businesses and charities nationwide to engage with and support their communities through local volunteering activities. Racing Welfare was one of over 65 organisations from across the sport in locations nationwide to embrace the day by giving up their time to help others.

Sixteen members of the Welfare team volunteered at local foodbanks on or near to the 5th May. In total, ten foodbanks were supported across England, Scotland and Wales.

Racing Welfare’s Deputy Head of Welfare, Becky Ireland said: “We chose foodbanks as we know from our work at Racing Welfare that they are more in demand than ever, because of the cost-of-living rise, impact of the pandemic and lack of compensating increase in benefit.

“Foodbanks rely on volunteers for most roles, and we felt we’d have the most impact supporting charities that support us and our beneficiaries and communities and raising awareness of the continued reliance of many on foodbanks to survive.”

Welfare officers based in Newmarket spent the day with Newmarket Open Door, a charity supporting homeless and vulnerable young local people with housing options and second-hand household items, as well as running its own foodbank and community pop-up shop.

Charles Dore, Chief Operating Officer of Newmarket Open Door, said: “Newmarket Open Door were lucky enough to have four volunteers from Racing Welfare come and help us on the day. We had two at the foodbank, helping Angela with sorting and dating donations, and two at our community ‘pop-up’ shop, helping set up, assisting customers and clearing up. Days like these are not only great for the whole community, but foster a closer and warmer relationship between our charities.”

Racing Welfare adds its support to the industry’s commitment to diversity and inclusion

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Racing Welfare – the leading provider of human welfare services for people working in racing – has added their support to British racing’s commitment to improving diversity and inclusion within the sport.  The commitment aims to formalise the sport’s approach to diversity and inclusion and builds on the extensive existing activity already taking place, including community engagement, education activity and charitable work.

 

Racing Is Everyone’s Sport 2021

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Launched by Great British Racing last year and the sport’s Racing with Pride network, Racing Is Everyone’s Sport aims to encourage and welcome LGBT+ participation in the sport of horseracing, bringing the racing community together to champion inclusion for lesbian, gay, bi and trans people.

As part of this year’s Racing Is Everyone’s Sport campaign, Great British Racing brought together current jockeys and friends, Jack Duern and Josephine Gordon, to discuss Jack’s experience of coming out in 2013 and the importance of allyship for the LGBT+ community.

 

Call for progression on racial equality at British Racing’s first collective conversation about racism

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Over 250 people from horseracing and associated industries engaged with the first ‘Let’s Talk About Race’ webinar on Wednesday 10th November, where Royal Ascot winning trainer Suzy Smith and cricketing legend Michael Holding called for more action on tackling race and racial equality within British racing. 

Led by award-winning broadcaster Nick Luck, the panel was also joined by Shereen Daniels, an advocate for anti-racism in business and Managing Director of HR re-wired and Tony Langham, non-executive Chairman of Great British Racing and the British Champions Series and co-founder of leading reputation management and corporate communications firm, Lansons.  The free 90-minute online event, organised by the Diversity in Racing Steering Group, focused on providing an educational insight and a collective conversation on racism and how racing can progress this area.

Racing industry workers in Newmarket urged to get their Covid-19 jabs with two vaccination clinics to be staged next week

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Newmarket residents associated with the Racing industry who are yet to receive their Covid-19 vaccination are being encouraged to take advantage of two clinics being held in the town next week.

Racing industry workers and their families are invited to attend the events, organised by the NHS West Suffolk Clinical Commissioning Group with the support of Suffolk County Council’s Public Health team, on Monday 21 June at Godolphin’s Warren Place Stables on Warren Hill or Thursday 24 June at The Racing Centre on Fred Archer Way to receive a shot of the Pfizer vaccine, which is suitable for all age groups.

Study will help develop injury prevention strategies for horseracing staff

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Hartpury University is undertaking new research investigating occupational injuries to stud and racing staff working within UK horseracing, with the aim of developing targeted injury prevention and support initiatives to improve employee welfare.