Beverley Racecourse is hosting raceday tea parties to help combat loneliness and isolation among older people.

The racecourse has teamed up with Contact the Elderly, a charity which organises monthly tea parties to ease acute loneliness among older people, aged 75 and above, who live on their own.

The first of the tea parties will be held at the racecourse on Tuesday, July 31, and will see 40 local elderly people enjoy an afternoon of tea, cake and conversation, with the backdrop of top-quality horseracing and family entertainment.

Kate McKee, Marketing Manager at Beverley Racecourse, said: “We’re thrilled to form this partnership with Contact the Elderly.

“It’s such a worthwhile charity and does so much to tackle loneliness among older people by hosting monthly tea parties in the homes of volunteers.

“We saw there was an opportunity to adapt the concept by hosting tea parties in a very social setting here at the racecourse and enable our guests to enjoy a day at the races, something a number of them may have enjoyed in the past.

“We’re hosting two tea parties this season, when racecourse staff will take time away from the running of the raceday to host the parties and ensure our special guests enjoy plenty of tea, cake, conversation and camaraderie. We’ll be pulling out all the stops to give them a great day out.”

The partnership was inspired by an initiative in May which saw residents from three Beverley care homes invited to the sixties-themed Bygone Beverley raceday to reminisce about racing in the 1960s.

Kate added: “The care home residents thoroughly enjoyed their afternoon with us and their heart-warming reaction inspired us to want to do more to help older people in our community.

“On finding out more about Contact the Elderly we saw a perfect fit, with the opportunity to host further community tea parties and also to use our resources to help spread their message.

“Research by Age UK suggests there are more than 6,000 lonely older people in East Yorkshire, which is absolutely heart-breaking.

“It would be wonderful if our partnership can help raise awareness of all the great things Contact the Elderly do in the community and prompt more volunteers to come forward to be part of their amazing work.”

Loneliness is a growing epidemic among older people, with over half (51%) of all people aged 75 and over living alone . Approximately 3.9million older people say the television is their main source of company.
Founded in 1965, Contact the Elderly is the only national charity solely dedicated to tackling loneliness and social isolation among older people through face-to-face contact.

With help from over 11,000 volunteers nationwide, Contact the Elderly takes more than 6,000 older people out for afternoon tea every month across the UK.

Hosted by volunteers in their own homes, the Sunday afternoon tea parties help people get out of the house, socialise with others and develop friendships. Guests are collected from their home by a regular volunteer driver, which means that, gradually, acquaintances turn into friends and loneliness is replaced by companionship.

Jean Blake, 90, has been helped by the charity for 10 months and admitted it had been a lifeline.
She said:

“I think these afternoon teas are a wonderful idea. In our group we’re all a similar age and are widows or widowers and we’ve become friends. We’ve all lost someone and we all look forward to getting together – to get out of the house and talk.

“When my husband died, everything stopped. I stopped going out and I couldn’t drive. I had anxiety and depression brought on by spending so much time alone.

“These get-togethers make you feel useful again and give you a purpose. I was lonely before and now I have something to look forward to.”

Jill Wood, Contact the Elderly’s Development Officer for East Yorkshire, North Yorkshire and West Yorkshire, said:

“We’re so excited to partner up with Beverley Racecourse. It’s so inspiring to see local institutions like the racecourse taking action to help the thousands of isolated older people in the community, and we hope others follow suit.”

Jennie Falconer, Contact the Elderly volunteer coordinator, said:

“Our tea party hosts make everyone feel so welcome with home-made afternoon teas, sometimes a glass of prosecco, and often a little pack-up to take home with them.

“We know there are many lonely and isolated people in our area and we want to reach out to them. Our Beverley group has a strong team of drivers but we need some more volunteers to host tea parties.

“Hopefully this partnership with Beverley Racecourse will raise awareness and help us to gain more members and volunteers.”

Tea party guests and volunteers from Contact the Elderly will be at Beverley Racecourse’s Family Raceday on Tuesday, July 31.

This midsummer afternoon of racing is a new, family-themed event featuring appearances by Chase and Marshall from the hugely popular TV series, PAW Patrol. Activities will include a giant inflatable play zone and PAW Patrol storytelling sessions.

The second tea party will be on the final raceday of the season, on Tuesday, September 25.

If you know someone aged 75 or over who lives alone and has little contact with family or friends who might benefit from a tea party, or would like more information, including how to volunteer, please call freephone number 0800 716 543. Alternatively visit www.contact-the-elderly.org.uk

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Beverley Racecourse is celebrating a memorable 2018 season, on and off the track.

The Westwood course enjoyed bumper attendances throughout the season as the Beverley Races team introduced a series of initiatives designed to provide an excellent raceday experience and improve inclusivity and accessibility for all.

The season also saw the announcement of plans for a new £4.8m grandstand featuring top-quality facilities for racegoers. The investment, the biggest in the history of the course, comes as Beverley continues to develop a reputation for being one of Britain’s most innovative and forward-thinking racecourses.

Average raceday attendances rose by almost six per cent year-on-year over the course of the season, despite a washout on opening day, as a total of 80,000 people flocked to the stunning venue. That meant the racecourse equalled last year’s total attendance, despite one fewer raceday.

Following a similar six per cent rise in attendances in 2017, Beverley is continuing to buck a national trend of decline in racecourse visitor numbers.

Among the highlights of the season was another hugely successful Flemingate Ladies Day in August, which attracted 12,000 people, up by 1,000 on 2017. This year, the glamorous event included an appearance by Love Island star Chris Hughes, who judged the ever-popular most stylish man and woman competitions.

Other memorable moments included a visit by Beverley-born A-list actress and Poldark star Eleanor Tomlinson, who started the much-loved Donkey Derby during A Very British Raceday in June.

Meanwhile, the course witnessed an exhilarating first, in the shape of “horse-boarding”, which involves a horse rider tow a board rider at high speeds. September’s Beverley Bullet meeting saw the racecourse set a world speed record for the extreme sport.

Beverley Racecourse Chief Executive Sally Iggulden said:

“It has been a memorable year at the racecourse and we’re absolutely delighted with another rise in average raceday attendances.

“This season we knew we would be competing with the football World Cup, so we decided to make the most of it, and our raceday on July 7, which coincided with England playing Sweden in the quarter final, turned out to be one of our busiest and best meetings. We showed the game on a big screen and there was a fantastic atmosphere.

“The feedback from other courses in Yorkshire is that attendances are generally down year on year, so we’re thrilled to be bucking the trend. I believe that’s due to our focus on the quality of the raceday experience and innovative thinking that is making this course more accessible, inclusive and popular than ever before.

“I must pay also tribute to the amazing efforts and incredible skill of our ground staff who, against the odds, were able to produce excellent and safe course conditions for horses and jockeys throughout the season, despite a very wet winter and an exceptionally dry summer.”

Innovative events during the season included the staging of Britain’s first deaf-friendly raceday, designed in partnership with the British Deaf Association.

The pioneering event included British Sign Language (BSL) interpretations of the build-up to races, displayed on a big screen, and extra training for staff to ensure that people with hearing impairments were able to enjoy fully a thrilling day at the races. It is hoped the initiative, which will be developed further throughout 2019, will be followed by other racecourses around the UK.

In July, the racecourse joined forces with Contact the Elderly, a charity dedicated to combating loneliness among older people, to stage a raceday tea party, when 80 local elderly people and volunteers enjoyed an afternoon of tea, cake and conversation, to a backdrop of top-quality horse racing and family entertainment.

And on May Day Bank Holiday, residents from three Beverley care homes were invited to the first Bygone Beverley event, when the course stepped back in time to recreate a raceday in 1960.

Meanwhile, Beverley continues to be a byword for excellence in raceday experience.

Throughout the season, celebrity chef Colin McGurran brought a cordon bleu dining experience to racegoers with a new “Signature” menu in The Attraction restaurant, thanks to a partnership involving his Winteringham Fields restaurant and the racecourse’s exclusive catering partner, CGC Event Caterers.

It’s a relationship the course will continue to promote in 2019, as it looks towards a bright future and its new grandstand, which will provide an enhanced customer experience and additional hospitality opportunities for racegoers.

Subject to planning permission, work on the new development is due to begin in September 2019, at the conclusion of next season’s racing, and will include demolition of the existing 1960s main stand.

Marketing Manager Kate McKee said she was proud of the innovative approach the course had taken to engage with members of the community who might not otherwise enjoy racing at Beverley.

She said: “It was a very rewarding experience to see our efforts to improve inclusivity and accessibility pay off by staging events such as Britain’s first deaf-friendly raceday and our tea party for isolated elderly people.

“We have been helped along the way by some wonderful community partners, such as the British Deaf Association and Contact the Elderly, and we look forward to harnessing their expertise again in 2019 as we continue to build on these successes.

“We’re excited to be pioneering such inclusivity initiatives for the racing industry and championing the cause of making racing accessible to all.”

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Award-winning Beverley Racecourse is launching an action-packed 2019 season with an Easter-themed raceday packed with family activities, including a “magical” Easter tree adorned with 500 chocolate eggs!    

The family-friendly Westwood venue has teamed up with Pocklington-based chocolatier, Butterflies Chocolate, to host the Easter tree hung with real chocolate eggs, as well as egg-decorating workshops.

The first meeting of the season, on Wednesday, April 17, is a perfect family day out during the Easter holidays. Artistic youngsters will be able to learn how to decorate the eggs using white chocolate, sprinkles, stars and chocolate beans, as well as enjoying other activities such as mini funfair rides, trampolines and face painting.

Marketing Manager Kate McKee said: “After a very successful 2018, we’re really looking forward to another exciting season with new initiatives lined up, as well as the return of popular racedays such as Bygone Beverley and A Very British Raceday. 

“We’re continuing to make our racedays very family-orientated so it’s fitting that our first event of the season is during the Easter school holidays. It’s a perfect opportunity for the whole family to enjoy some quality time together.”

Firmly established as one of East Yorkshire’s best days out, Beverley Racecourse offers an unbeatable blend of socialising and first-class hospitality plus, of course, exhilarating flat racing over one mile and three furlongs on the spectacular course.

Sally Iggulden, Chief Executive of Beverley Racecourse, said: “We’re excited to be starting the season during the Easter holidays, with the perfect occasion for families looking for a fun and entertaining day out.

“The season ahead will deliver the ideal mix of exhilarating racing, popular theme days and family-friendly events giving our visitors a wonderful experience, whether they’re a seasoned racegoer or someone who has never experienced a day at the races.

“Last season was memorable in many ways and we’re looking to raise the bar yet again this year to make a day at Beverley Racecourse an even more enjoyable experience.”

Gates open for the Easter Family Raceday open at 12noon, with the first race underway at 2.15. Under 18s go free and most of the activities are free too, so it really is the ideal family day out this Easter. 

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Beverley Racecourse today announced it is staging a charity takeover race meeting to support the fantastic work of some of the region’s most worthy causes.

Beverley Racecourse has invited five local charities – Cash for Kids, the Daisy Appeal, Dove House Hospice, Hull Homeless Community Project and R-evolution – to take centre stage at The Great Big Beverley Charity Racenight on Tuesday, June 18.

The pioneering race meeting was revealed today on Racing Together Community Day, which showcases British racing’s extensive work supporting the community and good causes outside the industry.

Although Beverley Racecourse has supported many charitable causes in the past, it will be the first time it has organised a dedicated, charity-focused race meeting, with each organisation given a range of benefits to help them raise funds and awareness on the night.

The free assets include 100 Premier Tickets, worth £2,000, to sell and give away for the event; a race named after each charity on the night; the chance to go into the Parade Ring to choose the best turned out horse with their guests and present the trophy afterwards; a half page advert in the race card; and banner space at the final furlong, Paddock Bar or Parade Ring.

They have also been given stand space to carry out fundraising activities, digital profile via social media and the racecourse website, and charity prizes for corporate hospitality guests, which they can add a percentage to and re-sell, raising additional funds.

Kate McKee, Marketing Manager at Beverley Racecourse, said: “We’re absolutely delighted to welcome all five charities to the first of our three evening meetings of the 2019 season.

“This will be our first race meeting supporting multiple charities, all of which do amazing work in the region.

“Rather than focus on a single charity we’ve decided to support five very worthy causes. We’ve also decided to go all out by effectively devoting the evening to them – it really is their night!

“The assets and opportunities we are making available to the charities are worth thousands of pounds will enable them to turn that into vital funds, while also raising awareness of their good work.

“We hope as many people as possible will join us on the night and support these great causes.”

The charities involved in The Great Big Beverley Charity Racenight offer a range of services and support to vulnerable members of the community or people at some of the most difficult times of their lives.

·         Cash for Kids supports sick, disabled and disadvantaged children living in East Yorkshire and Northern Lincolnshire.

·         The Daisy Appeal aims to give local people a faster, more accurate diagnosis to three of the region’s biggest killers – cancer, heart disease, and dementia.

·         Dove House Hospice offers specialist palliative care to adults, which means the total care of patients whose illness is no longer curable and for whom the goal must be quality of life.

·         Hull Homeless Community Project supports homeless people, believing that with the right approach, funding, government support and community education, homelessness can end and prevention is the answer.

·         Cottingham-based R-evolution aims to develop the skills of disadvantaged people in the local community through accredited training and skills development.

R-evolution has recently joined forces with East Riding of Yorkshire Council’s road safety team, the Refugee Council and Safer Roads Humber on an award-winning refugee cycle project for Syrian refugees who have settled in the East Riding that have escaped the civil war in their country.

The 30 refugees are the second group to have been given training in cycling skills and road safety to help them navigate the roads safely and enable them to travel to employment, or education, as they integrate into the community.

They were presented with reconditioned bikes and safety gear, including helmets and hi-visibility vests, last month and will take part in the Refugee Cycle Challenge ride around Beverley on the day of the race night, as part of Cycle4life Week, led by the council’s road safety team.

The ride route will finish at the racecourse, where the refugees will receive a welcome party with afternoon tea and enjoy a behind-the-scenes tour.

John Marshall, Chief Executive of R-evolution, said: “We train people from disadvantaged backgrounds, including those who are homeless, have mental health problems, physical issues, are long-term unemployed, or are prisoners or ex-offenders.

“We offer a range of training opportunities, including three-month placements in our workshop, where our trainees repair and refurbish donated bikes which we then provide to groups such as local schoolchildren and, in this case, the refugees, through East Riding Council’s refugee cycle project.

“We’re very excited about the race night and to have a race named after our charity is amazing. We really value Beverley Racecourse’s support, both with the refugee cycle project and the opportunity to raise funds for our charity.

“R-evolution wouldn’t be able to operate if it wasn’t for the strength of our partnerships. This partnership is a great example of organisations coming together to achieve something very special and make a real difference.”

The Great Big Beverley Charity Racenight is the latest example of Beverley Racecourse using innovative ways to support local good causes.

A previous charity event last year saw Beverley Racecourse become the first course in the country to stage a deaf-friendly raceday. The event was designed in partnership with the British Deaf Association (BDA) and earned Beverley the Outstanding Initiative Award at the Racecourse Association (RCA) Showcase & Awards, the Oscars of the racing industry.

Last season Beverley Racecourse also joined forces with Contact the Elderly, a charity dedicated to combating loneliness among older people, to stage a raceday tea party for 80 local elderly people.

Gates open at 4.30pm for The Great Big Beverley Charity Racenight on Tuesday, June 18, with the first race at 6.30pm and the last race at 9pm. 

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Stylish fashion and summer cocktails will be the order of the day as racegoers up the glamour stakes for Flemingate Ladies Day.

The prestigious raceday, presented in partnership with Beverley’s Flemingate centre, returns on Wednesday, August 14, with superb racing, excellent entertainment, mouth-watering hospitality, wonderful prizes and a celebrity guest!

TV’s favourite barman Merlin Griffiths will be mixing up the perfect tipple in bars around the racecourse.

The celebrity bartender, who will be creating cocktails specially designed for a fabulous summer day out at the races, said: “I’m hugely excited to be shaking things up at Beverley Racecourse at their social highlight event of the year, Flemingate Ladies Day.

“We’ve got a couple of great cocktails and a non-alcoholic drink so there should be something for everyone to enjoy. And you never know, I might even have a flutter myself!”

Sophisticated vintage group The Candy Girls will transport racegoers back in time with wartime harmonies by stars of the 1940s, including Glen Miller, The Andrew Sisters and Vera Lynn. The six-piece variety act will entertain the crowds at various points around the racecourse.

Acoustic duo Maple North – Tom Gorringe and Lily Hope – will be performing popular numbers in the Pavilion marquee. The local singer-songwriters’ repertoire includes a foot-tapping mix of soul, Motown and swing.

Kate McKee, Marketing Manager at Beverley Racecourse, said:

“Flemingate Ladies Day is Beverley’s social highlight of the summer and we have a really lively, fun day lined up.

“We’re so excited to have celebrity bartender Merlin mixing up cocktails in the racecourse bars. We also have great live music by wartime harmony singers The Candy Girls and local duo Maple North.

“The prizes for our Most Stylish competition are fantastic and I’m sure racegoers will have a really exciting and enjoyable day out!”

Popular Viking FM presenters Alex and Ellie will play the biggest tunes of the summer throughout the day and will host the Flemingate Most Stylish competition, sponsored by Humberside Airport.

Winner of the coveted Most Stylish Lady title will enjoy a weekend for two to the Christmas Markets of Cologne. The prize will include a private flight experience from Humberside Airport and two nights’ accommodation on a bed and breakfast basis.

The winner of the Most Stylish Gent will claim a stylish watch donated by Beverley jeweller Guest & Philips, worth more than £500.

Attracting a bumper crowd of 12,000 visitors, Flemingate Ladies Day is the best-attended meeting in Beverley’s busy calendar and is a day not to be missed.

With racegoers making a big effort to look their very best for the occasion, Flemingate Ladies Day brings an added touch of glamour to the racecourse’s unbeatable combination of socialising, sport and first-class hospitality.

All tickets for the Premier Enclosure are sold out but there are still some tickets available for the Grandstand, Paddock and Course Enclosure, so racegoers are being urged to book to ensure they don’t miss out on a very special day on the Westwood.

Gates for Flemingate Ladies Day will open at 11am, with the first race at 2pm and last race at 5.05pm. For more information, or to book tickets, visit www.beverley-racecourse.co.uk/event/flemingate-ladies-day or call 01482 867488.

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