Racing Welfare partnership goes from strength to strength

14 January 2025

While the ROA continues to advocate on behalf of the owners who contribute so much to the sport, the organisation is also helping to support the wellbeing of those working in the industry through their partnership with Racing Welfare, which was formalised in 2022. Last year that partnership went from strength to strength, with ROA members able to access exclusive opportunities, providing enhanced awareness of Racing Welfare’s services among those who play a vital role in the racing ecosystem, and contributing vital funds to support the charity’s work.

One of the key success stories has been Bid to Give, a monthly online auction available exclusively to ROA members, featuring money-can’t-buy experiences and packages secured by Racing Welfare. The auction is on track to have exceeded the fantastic £25,000 raised for the charity in 2023 thanks to bids from ROA members – a sum which could pay for the charity to provide five instances of critical incident support following a traumatic event at a workplace, such as an accident or death. That involves immediate access to trained counsellors and includes the option to have counsellors on site for in-person support after 48 hours if required.

Sadly, in 2024, Racing Welfare had to initiate critical incident support on four occasions, with welfare officers making multiple visits to those workplaces in the aftermath, providing vital, ongoing support to employers and their staff members in their time of need. 

The two organisations also paired up at various events throughout the year. Highlights included the Racing Welfare Aintree lunch on the opening day of the Randox Grand National Festival in the Hospitality Pavilion, which drew a crowd of over 400 people. The ROA was the headline partner for the third consecutive year and that is set to continue for the 2025 renewal with tickets already on sale.

The ROA once again sponsored the Epsom Awards, organised by Racing Welfare. The annual black-tie event brings together the Epsom community to celebrate the achievements of the town’s National Hunt and Flat horses, owners, trainers and industry staff over the past year. Among the winners on the night was Racing Welfare’s own Katy Ferguson, who picked up the Stanley Wootton Award for her outstanding contribution to the local racing community since she joined as a welfare officer.

One of many people to sing Katy’s praises is Louisa Allen, Head Person for Epsom trainer Jim Boyle. She said: “Katy has been amazing – she has worked so hard to bring racing’s people together. The community had become fragmented, but the change in recent years has been outstanding… Katy always checks in on every person that has accessed services in our area, it is very reassuring to know she is there for us all.

“I contacted Katy for help with the countless niggles I was facing. I’d injured my shoulder and my lower vertebrae in separate incidents, and the injury to my back in particular was starting to see effects on other areas of my body, such as shooting pains down my leg. There was a point where I didn’t want to carry on due to the pain. I’d lost faith in my GP and my back pain was so bad that I was struggling to even sit in the saddle at one point.”

Katy was able to arrange physiotherapy for Louisa through Racing Welfare’s Occupational Health Service.

“I can safely say that without the physiotherapy Racing Welfare provided the pain would have been unbearable and I wouldn’t been able to continue working in a racing yard at all. I’m not exaggerating when I say that my everyday life is genuinely so much more enjoyable now!”

Support from the ROA directly helps Racing Welfare continue to provide these services, which are so crucial to the wellbeing of the industry and its people. Reflecting on the partnership, Racing Welfare’s Chief Executive Dawn Goodfellow said: “Having the support of the ROA is hugely beneficial to the charity on a number of levels, from collaboration on joint events, to raising awareness of our services and generating crucial funds so we can ensure that every individual working in the industry has access to the support they need, when they need it.

“We are grateful to the ROA and their members for their continued support and look forward to working together again in 2025.”

Racing Welfare needs to raise £3m each year to provide its services to the industry’s people and is entirely charitably funded. If you would like to support the charity’s work, you can get involved by:

  • Donating an auction lot for our Bid to Give initiative. Contact [email protected]
  • Sign up to become a Friend of Racing Welfare. For as little as £5 per month, a Friend of Racing Welfare can pledge their long-term support to the charity, providing stability for the charity and ensuring that Racing Welfare can continue to be there for racing’s people when they need us most. Go to racingwelfare.co.uk/friends-racing-welfare/
  • Become a Platinum Club member and commit to donate between £25k and £250k per year for a three-year period. The Platinum Club offers a range of bespoke options tailored to the suit the individual, which either ensure and respect the donor’s preference for privacy or, alternatively, offer supporting PR, named projects or other ways of recognising their donation. Contact [email protected].
  • Give a one-off donation. Please contact [email protected].

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