A group of 14 students from Slough and Eton Church of England Business and Enterprise College will attend Ascot’s Christmas Shopping Raceday on Friday 19 November 2010, as the result of a partnership implemented between The Prince’s Trust and the British Horseracing Authority (BHA). The aim of the day is to introduce the students to the racing industry, to make them aware of the range of employment opportunities that exist within the sport and also to provide the students with a well deserved treat for successful completion within a Prince’s Trust xl club.
This unique opportunity to gain an insight into how a day at the races works will commence with an introduction by Ascot’s Chief Executive, Charles Barnett, and will be followed by a number of sessions with the people who contribute in different ways to the running of a raceday. The students will walk the track with Clerk of the Course Chris Stickels, accompany the Starter to his position and visit the Weighing Room, gaining an exclusive insight into the world of racing.
With more than one million young people not in employment, education or training in the UK, youth charity, The Prince’s Trust helps disadvantaged young people to overcome the barriers to achieving this and to gain the confidence, skills and motivation needed to find future employment and training opportunities. British Horseracing became involved with the charity through Sport United, a Prince’s Trust initiative which makes links with the governing bodies of UK Sport and other sporting organisations in order to encourage and enable disadvantaged youngsters to become more physically, economically and socially active.
The partnership between the BHA and The Prince’s Trust was launched in November 2008, and aims to reward students who have successfully participated in The Prince’s Trust xl clubs, which are run in schools nationwide for pupils in Years 10 and 11 who are at risk of truanting and underachievement. xl Club members have visited Beverley, Doncaster, Ffos Las, York, Fontwell Park, Newmarket, Down Royal and Cheltenham racecourses to date, with many more visits planned.
Nic Coward, Chief Executive of the British Horseracing Authority, said:
“Racing directly employs over 20,000 people, with another 70,000 working in related sectors, so it has a significant impact on communities up and down the country – no other sport employs so many people across such a wide range of jobs and locations. We, as a sport, want to use this network to help young people and we are grateful to the racecourses and industry employees who have been delighted to offer their resources to such a worthy cause.”
Tom Keer, Head of Sport at The Prince’s Trust, also commented:
“We are delighted that racing has become a supporter of The Prince’s Trust. We have seen first-hand how sport can change young lives, helping to develop key workplace skills such as confidence, motivation, teamwork and discipline. Through our partners such as the British Horseracing Authority, we can continue to help thousands of young people through sport.”
Charles Barnett, Chief Executive of Ascot Racecourse, said:
“We are delighted to welcome The Prince’s Trust and students from Slough and Eton College to Ascot. By providing them with an insight of the work that goes on behind-the-scenes during a race day, we hope they will take away a greater knowledge of the industry and a few ideas about the opportunities that may exist for them within the sport.”
For more information about The Prince’s Trust, please contact Kate Evans on 020 7543 1234 or [email protected].
