Horse racing fans were in for a treat on Friday (8 March) at a special Cheltenham Festival preview lunch in support of Rockinghorse…
The Best of British ‘bite-sized’ sporting lunch was held at Malmaison Hotel in Brighton Marina and welcomed special guest speaker Mick Fitzgerald – the legendary Cheltenham Gold Cup and Grand National winning jockey, now turned ITV racing expert.
Sponsored by Star Sports and co-sponsored by Classic Hospitality and Plumpton Racecourse, the event played host to 100 keen horse racing followers. Mick delivered an inspirational and emotional speech about his career as a jockey and what a huge impact horse racing has had on his life.
Funds were raised for Rockinghorse through a game of ‘heads and tails’, and a charity raffle and auction. Thanks to the generosity of guests, £7,500 was raised during the lunch which will be donated towards our equine project in partnership with Chailey Heritage Foundation.
Chailey is a pioneering site in East Sussex, dedicated to enriching the lives of young people with complex physical disabilities and health needs through a special school, residential facilities, transitioning services and a care farm – incorporating horse riding facilities.
We have pledged our support of Chailey’s Therapeutic Horse Riding programme, which provides an educational and fun outdoor activity for young people at the school. Using the movement of the horse, physical activities and therapy is able to be integrated into a young person’s day.
Ryan Heal, Chief Executive of Rockinghorse and Best of British organiser, says: “Thanks to the generosity of our Cheltenham Festival preview guests, we are able to support children with complex physical disabilities and health needs at Chailey Heritage through their Therapeutic Horse Riding programme. At present, almost 30 young people from the school currently access the equine facilities and our additional funding means that even more pupils will be able to take part in the sessions.”
To find out more about this project, please click here.
