Uttoxeter Racecourse is celebrating after receiving national recognition for its outstanding work in the community.
It beat off stiff competition to win the Community and Corporate Social Responsibility category in the Racecourse Association’s (RCA) Showcase and Awards – the marquee event for British racecourses.
Delighted officials also picked up an “excellence accolade” from judges for visitor information and signage at the Staffordshire venue.
The Community and Corporate Social Responsibility was presented at the prestige RCA event held at Aintree racecourse for Uttoxeter’s partnership with the local Lions organisation on tackling prostate cancer among men.
This is just one of a series of community engagement activities the track is involved in.
They have:
- Just supported Royal British Legion Poppy Appeal in raising an impressive £4,500.
- Aim to collect around £15,000 this year for the Douglas Macmillan Hospice through a variety of initiatives including bucket collects at 20 meetings as well as auction donations and more.
- Acting as a centre for blood donor sessions which are run by the NHS.
- Work with charity Racing To School to deliver education on the racecourse to local school children.
- Sponsorship of the Scropton Riding for Disabled Association competition team.
David MacDonald, Executive Director at Uttoxeter Racecourse, said: “The Racecourse Association’s (RCA) Showcase and Awards are the pinnacle for the industry and to come away from the event at Aintree with an award is a huge honour.
“We are delighted to work with partners in the prostate cancer prevention project which is helping to save men from falling victim to the UK’s third biggest killer illness.
“This is just one of the many community ventures we are delighted to get involved in. Uttoxeter racecourse plays a huge part in the lives of many, many local people who either work here or come to our events. It is very rewarding and satisfying for us to be able to put something back into our local communities by taking on a variety of activities. To receive national recognition is really the icing on the cake.”
As well as its success in this category, Uttoxeter was also on the short-list for two other coveted national awards at the RCA event.
It was one of five courses that battled it out for the Racing Post Readers’ Award and was also short-listed for the Owners’ Experience Award.
Mr MacDonald added: “To be in the shake-up for three awards at the industry’s premier event is a terrific achievement and to win one of the categories caps a fantastic year for us.”
The RCA successes are not the only accolade which Uttoxeter is celebrating.
It revealed today that it has achieved Gold Standard from the Racehorse Owners’ Association for the first time in the track’s history.
Mr MacDonald said: “This is another amazing achievement and is testament to all of the hard work which the team here put in to make the racecourse such an excellent venue not only for visitors but also owners and trainers.”
