Greatwood's record breaking day at Newbury Racecourse raised more than £135,000
Mike O’Kane presenting mementoes to winning connections of Gala Ball, who won The Ladbrokes Supporting Greatwood Handicap Hurdle RaceGreatwood Charity, held its annual race day at Newbury Racecourse on Saturday (March 5) with a lunch attended by 350 guests. This year's major fundraising effort was bigger and better than ever with a phenomenal amount of money being raised.
In excess of £135,000 - net of costs - was raised which equates to a quarter of Greatwood’s total annual running costs.
"This", one of the organisers told Marlborough News Online, "is an astonishing amount of money, which will have a hugely positive impact on the charity."
Greatwood Charity, based at Clench Common, just south of Marlborough, looks after retired racehorses and uses them to help children with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND). It is an accredited alternative provider of SEND programmes and provider of ‘Positive Activities for Young People’ with the Wiltshire Council.
Greatwood’s Managing Director & co-founder, Helen Yeadon, called the day - the ninth to be held at Newbury - a resounding success: "I would like to thank our sponsors: Betfair, Betway, Ladbrokes, StanJames.com, Moore of Devizes Ltd, BetVictor, Bloor Homes, Haygrove and Irish Thoroughbred Marketing for their immense support of the day."
Tanya Stevenson of Channel 4 Racing - but shouldn't she be on the telly?"The silent and main auction contributes to a large proportion of our fundraising efforts and I must thank all those who contributed and placed bids but also to our Patron, Jenny McCririck, who worked tirelessly procuring so many of the wonderful prizes."
And Helen Yeadon added: "A special note of thanks must go to Mike O’Kane from Ladbrokes who presented Greatwood with a cheque for £50,000 - a staggeringly generous donation for which the charity is enormously thankful."
"Finally a big thank you to the intrepid riders in the charity race, for training so hard and raising a huge amount of money in the process - along with the Stewards, Richard Osgood The Clerk of the Course, Sarah Oliver of the Amateur Jockeys Association."
"We are hugely grateful to the Chairman, the Directors and all of the staff at Newbury Racecourse for helping to make the day such a triumph.”
Mike O’Kane presenting mementoes to winning connections of Gala Ball, who won The Ladbrokes Supporting Greatwood Handicap Hurdle Race
Some of the Greatwood team surviving a very cold and wet day's racing