Jockey Club Unveils Cheltenham Charity Partnership With Wellchild
The Jockey Club has announced a major new charity partnership with WellChild, which will see The Festival at Cheltenham Racecourse, as well as the Cheltenham Gold Cup itself, bear the name of the organisation.
A national charity for seriously ill children, WellChild is headquartered in Cheltenham and helps the 100,000+ children and young people who are living with serious illness or exceptional health needs across the UK.
The charity lost 60% of its projected income due to the pandemic, and had to quickly adapt its services to meet the sudden demand for help from families having to deliver round-the-clock care to their children alone. The charity also expanded its digital services with online information and peer-to-peer support, and set up a crisis response service in 10 days to source and distribute Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) to shielding families so that they could let external carers back into their home.
The charity has now distributed more than 289,000 items of PPE to more than 1,000 vulnerable families across the country.
The Festival supporting WellChild will take place between Tuesday 16th and Friday 19th March, broadcast on ITV’s main channel and via its digital platforms. The event’s 28 races will be staged behind closed doors over four days in line with current government restrictions.
The event will also support the charity on the climactic Gold Cup Day, which will feature the showpiece event – the Grade 1 2021 WellChild Cheltenham Gold Cup.
“As a national charity with its headquarters in Cheltenham, we are thrilled to have been invited to work with The Jockey Club, particularly around an event as iconic as The Festival at Cheltenham Racecourse,” said Colin Dyer, CEO, WellChild.
“This has been a challenging year for our organisation and the families we support, many of whom have felt hidden and isolated more than ever before. However, we have responded at every turn to ensure that families have access to the support and equipment they need to thrive at home. This partnership will bring a much-needed boost to our organisation after a challenging period and will help to ensure that we are ready to respond again in 2021 and beyond.”
Ian Renton, who runs Cheltenham Racecourse as The Jockey Club’s Regional Managing Director, said: “WellChild plays a vital role in our society supporting seriously ill children and young people, and those who care for them. Their services have been needed more than ever during the pandemic and we are very proud indeed to help such an important charity amongst our communities, including in Cheltenham.
“I would also like to take this opportunity to thank Magners for their support in 2019 and 2020, and express our gratitude to our various and valued partners who have retained their involvement with The Festival in 2021 and those we are welcoming for the first time.”
The Jockey Club says it hopes to build significant awareness and inspire donations for WellChild from the partnership. The pair also plan to launch a series of activities in the build-up to the event as well as numerous activations over the four days of racing, including a soon-to-be-launched competition to inspire children who are currently home-schooling to showcase their creativity.
