This free-to-attend webinar explored finalists from the Community Award category at November’s Racecourse Association (RCA) Showcase & Awards. Hear from those closest to the programmes about the why, the how and the impact. The panel was hosted by Matthew Jones from the RCA.

Apologies for issues with Debbie's sound in the first half.

Meet the Panel:

Sarah Drabwell – The Jockey Club (Sandown Park)

After a 20-year career in finance, six of those as Finance Director of Epsom, Sandown and Kempton Park, Sarah took the helm of Sandown Park three years ago. Since then, she has worked tirelessly to engage and support the local community, culminating in the launch of the Community Fund for Elmbridge to coincide with Sandown Park’s 150th birthday. This fund provides a focal point for local fundraising and has just made its first awards to four worthy local causes.

This initiative earned Sandown Park recognition from the House of Commons, and has also seen profit return to pre-COVID levels, proving that CSR is not a nice to have, but a business fundamental.

Sarah is also a Trustee of the British Racing School and is passionate about providing opportunities for young people to achieve their full potential regardless of their background.

Debbie Powell – Cotswold Riding for the Disabled

Debbie has worked in the equine industry all her life. Having qualified as a British Horse society Intermediate instructor, she went on to manage several equine yards. Teaching, Schooling, and competing for several people up to advance in dressage. Debbie is currently the General Manager at Cotswold Riding for the Disabled, based at Cheltenham Racecourse and is now in her 15th year working for them.   

Grant Rowley – The Jockey Club

Grant Rowley is the Strategic Communications Lead for Jockey Club Racecourses. Grant joined The Jockey Club in 2014 after spending three years working as Communications Manager at Liverpool FC where his responsibilities included promoting the Club’s community engagement activity through the Liverpool FC Foundation and managing First Team and Academy player appearances. Grant has led the communications for several Grand National and Cheltenham Festivals and set up The Aintree Community Programme, which has been fortunate to win the ‘Racing Together Community Award’ four times. He is now focussed on delivering the social impact strategy for all racecourses across The Jockey Club and leading on welfare communications as well. Grant has a passion for using sport for the good and enjoys watching and playing all sports, as well as being an avid Liverpool FC fan.

Due to a technical error the first minute of this recording is missing - apologies for any inconvenience caused. 

This free-to-attend webinar explored the latest news in British racing’s community engagement, social impact and beyond. The panel was hosted by Racing Media Academy graduate Luca Brooks- Edwards.

An expert panel reflected on 2025 activity, including the sport’s new Social Impact Strategy, emerging research and industry-leading fundraising and charity partnerships.

Meet the Panel: Juliet Redfern

With over 34 years of experience in the equine insurance industry, Juliet has spent the past 17 years leading Markel’s Equine and Livestock team, managing a global portfolio covering bloodstock, breeding, sport horses, and farm liability policies.

Juliet also serves as Chair of the Lloyd’s Equine Panel, representing specialist underwriters at Lloyd’s, and is a Trustee of the Injured Jockeys Fund, reflecting her commitment to the racing and equestrian community.

John Baker

John is Chief Executive of Newton Abbot Racecourse and a Trustee of Racing to School, Chairing the Racing Together Subcommittee. As former Managing Director of Aintree Racecourse, he oversaw the development of Aintree’s award-winning community programme, including its partnership with Alder Hey Children’s Hospital and the Aintree Beacon Project with Racing to School.

He is passionate about using racing’s platform to drive positive community impact and inspire young people through education.

Tom Baker

Tom is currently the Head of Social Impact at the BHA and has been tasked with developing a social impact strategy for the horseracing industry. Prior to this Tom spent a year as the Head of Social Investment and Public Affairs at The Jockey Club where he helped to enhance and focus the community engagement activity across the group. A lifelong racing fan, Tom previously spent over a decade working in Olympic and Paralympic sport where he most recently developed a social impact and environmental sustainability strategy for Olympic and Paralympic sport in the UK – helping over 50 sports and over 1,000 athletes find their unique role in addressing social and environmental issues and opportunities.

Daniel O’Sullivan

Dan is currently the Head of Programme Delivery at the BHA and has been leading on Project Beacon which is British racing’s most in depth piece of customer research to date. It has gathered the views of the British public in order to help the sport develop a customer strategy based on a deep understanding of our fans, both present and future. Prior to this Dan spent 25 years leading business change and transformation programmes across a variety of sectors. As a lifelong fan, he completed the Thoroughbred Horseracing Industries MBA at the University of Liverpool Management School to facilitate moving into working in the industry.

Host: Luca Brooks-Edwards

Host Luca Brooks-Edwards is a recent graduate of the Racing Media Academy and works as a Digital Account Manager at CEM Media which supports Raceday TV. Passionate about the sport and its future, Luca is keen to use his platform as a young professional in racing to help inspire others and highlight opportunities for the next generation to get involved in the industry.

About Racing Together Webinars
These popular, free online events for industry professionals focus on a range of community topics discussed by a panel of thought-leaders in their respective fields, both from inside and outside the sport.

Racing Together brings together voices to highlight how racing is working collaboratively to deliver community engagement and create social impact. This episode will discuss a range of new and growing initiatives, why they were created and how they came to life in partnership with charities and local communities.

All roads lead to the racing’s largest volunteering effort – Racing Together Community Week

This episode was a conversation to discuss the huge benefits of getting involved with this year’s  Racing Together Community Week, taking place from 5th–11th May.

This episode showcased the power of racing to give back and inspire action nationwide. Our expert panellists shared how their organisations have embraced employee volunteering and how others can get involved, no matter their size or resources.

Meet the Panel:

– Andrea O’Keeffe – Andrea has been instrumental in developing long-term community partnerships and volunteering action at Jedd O’Keeffe Racing. Through her roles as a Trustee with Racing to School, and working for the British Horseracing Authority and New Beginnings, Andrea has a broad view on the power of racing to help local communities, charities and effective education initiatives. Her insights and passion will help organisations plan to make an impact that lasts beyond this week.

– John Gilbert – As Chief Executive of The Racing Centre in Newmarket, John brings a wealth of experience in community outreach and impact, as well as working in partnership with local businesses, charities and schools. John will share community-led examples to showcase how identifying local need and working collaboratively can create lasting change.

– Charlotte Russell – General Manager for Go Racing in Yorkshire, Charlotte connects all nine Yorkshire racecourses across a number of initiatives, including community activity and social impact. Their RCA Community award-winning Bowel Cancer Screening Initiative is one of their programmes, and Charlotte coordinates volunteering activity in the region as part of Community Week.

The session was hosted by Racing Together, with practical advice and examples of successful projects. 

Community Week is racing’s national celebration of giving back, with racecourses, yards, charities, and businesses coming together to support their communities through volunteering, fundraising, educational outreach and more. Over 80 organisations engaged with this initiative last year.

Lucy Gurney, Community Engagement Manager at Racing Together, said: “This year’s Racing Together Community Week looks set to be another record-breaking year for participation and impact in local communities. It is wonderful to see racing organisations’ enthusiasm to get involved and identifying new and existing charity partners with whom to complete projects in their local area.”

Now is the time to get involved

Whether you’re planning your first activity or looking to grow your impact from past years, this episode is your opportunity to learn more, test out your ideas and ensure the Racing Together team is fully behind your efforts next month.

Register now and start planning your Community Week activity: https://www.racingtogether.co.uk/events/racing-together-community-day/

The expert panel discussed the innovative approach of racecourses nationwide to create positive impact in their communities. The panel is hosted by the Racecourse Association’s Matthew Jones with racecourse representatives contributing to the discussion.

Panellists formed part of the recent Racecourse Association Showcase & Awards judging process competing in the sought-after Community Award category, won by Go Racing in Yorkshire. Join us at Racing Together Industry Day to hear from General Manager Charlotte Russell to hear more about their Bowel Cancer Screening Programme.

This episode discussed the motivation behind these initiatives, why they were created and how they came to life in partnership with charities and the local community.

Meet the Panel

Lewis Donnovan

Lewis is the Marketing Campaign Manager for Sandown Park and Kempton Park. Lewis has worked in the racing industry for eight years and has worked for some of the industry’s biggest brands. Starting his career at Goodwood Racecourse, before moving to British Champions Series and now The Jockey Club, Lewis has been involved in shaping the customer journey and experience at fixtures such as Glorious Goodwood, Champions Day and the Derby. Lewis also works on community initiatives too. Lewis is a Jump racing fan at heart, and the Tingle Creek Festival is his favourite fixture of the year. 

Jonathan Garratt

Jonathan is the Managing Director at Kelso Racecourse. His extensive racecourse management experience encompasses work at Kelso, Cartmel, Worcester and Fontwell Park Racecourses plus central administration with Scottish Racing. During his time at Kelso, Jonathan has led the team to success in the RCA Showcase Awards, most recently winning the public-voted Racing Post Readers’ Award in 2024. Beyond Kelso, Jonathan represents all Small Independent Racecourses as a Director on the RCA Board.

Blaithin Murphy

Blaithin is General Manager of Wincanton Racecourse, starting as a Customer Relationship Management Executive in 2022 before accepting a place on The Jockey Club’s Trainee General Manager programme. Blaithin held hands-on roles in thoroughbred studs and training yards whilst completing her degree in Equine Science and a Masters in Business Management. She has been involved in equine sports all her life, but horse racing has always been at the forefront and she is passionate about making racing more accessible and reaching new audiences. Blaithin is also a former Women in Racing committee member.

Vhari Russell

Vhari Russell is an entrepreneur who runs The Food Marketing Experts a full-service PR, Marketing and social media agency working in the food and drink industry. Vhari has also created Creating Nature Corridors, which is on a mission to help plant 10,000 trees and hedging plants in the UK and Ireland every year. The charity was started after she lost her brother aged 37 to sudden adult death syndrome. The charity was created to create a legacy that Rory was not able to. The charity has been working for three years and in that time has planted over 32,000 trees and hedging plants in 44 sites. Vhari worked with the team at Huntingdon Racecourse on their recent biodiversity and flood defence improvement project.
Sign up to hear about future episodes via the Racing Together website.

Host: Sally Lyons (GBR) Panellists: Richard Phillips (Trainer and NRW founder), Fr33dom Zampaladus (Urban Equestrian Academy), Birte Bauer and David Futter (Norton Farm Stud), Kevin and Pam Atkinson (New Beginnings) and Louise Robson (Thoroughbred Dressage)

Racing's national day of volunteering is fast-approaching, this year taking place on Thursday 25th May. This episode runs through the many benefits of volunteering, and provides some inspiring ideas from our panellists.

Panellists:

Eleanor Boden
Chief Executive, Scottish Racing Academy
Eleanor is responsible for the development and management of the Scottish Racing Academy provision, the teams as well as key education and industry partners. Eleanor's main focus is to enhance recruitment strategies and employer engagement. Eleanor is involved in a multitude of industry-wide initiatives due to her enthusiasm for inclusion, diversity, teaching and learning.
In 2022, Eleanor and the Scottish Racing team won the Racecourse Association Community Award for their initiative during Racing Together Community Day last May.


John Gilbert
Chief Executive, The Racing Centre
John is South African born-and-bred with a passion for conservation and previous roles at the African Conservation Trust and South Africa's largest oil producer, Sasol. John met his wife within the horseracing community in South Africa, moving to the UK in 2014 where he worked as a data analyst, then setting up a commercial cleaning company, before joining the Racing Centre in 2018.
The Racing Centre is an inclusive community hub in the heart of Newmarket that heroes racing and stud staff but welcomes and supports the entire community. John is also Trustee of Newmarket Open Door, an important local charity that was formed from a Churches Together initiative when a group of people wanted to do something more about homelessness in the district. John plays an important role coordinating volunteering activity in Newmarket as part of Racing Together Community Day.
Find out more about The Racing Centre.

Karen Pengilley
CEO, Kate's Home Nursing
Kate’s Home Nursing is a Cotswolds-based charity, employing registered nurses to care for people in their own homes through the last stage of illness and offering support for families.
Karen worked for many years for a global IT company providing software for the airline industry, where one of her better-known projects was the worldwide introduction of electronic ticketing. Karen joined the charity part-time to help out with administration, and her role developed to CEO over the next few years.
Kate's Home Nursing was a beneficiary of Racing Together Community Day activity last year. Find out more about Kate's Home Nursing here.

Find out more and get involved at: https://www.racingtogether.co.uk/racing-together-community-day/ 

Meet The Panel

James Crespi
General Manager l Epsom Racecourse
James spent ten years on the Goodwood Estate building the Festival of Speed and Revival Meeting, two of the world’s largest motor sport events. He then progressed to become General Manager of Goodwood Racecourse where he was involved in developing the course and facilities to produce a world class venue. As Chief Operating Officer for the West Wittering Estate, a visitor attraction and conservation area attracting over a million people per year, James led the organisation through major periods of change including several joint ventures and projects in conjunction with the local community, authorities and organisations. In 2022 James retuned to racing as General Manager of Epsom Downs Racecourse overseeing the Derby and looking to increase local community engagement activity.

Naomi Howgate
Head of Diversity and Inclusion l BHA
Naomi is currently Head of Diversity and Inclusion at the British Horse Racing Authority. Her work includes supporting the BHA with internal policies and programmes whilst also looking at the whole racing landscape to create a more diverse and inclusive sport.
She has had a varied career that includes roles in both the charity and corporate sector and in 2017 had the opportunity to combine her love of horses with her job when she took on a role managing Ebony Horse Club in London.
The organisation uses horses and youth work to improve the life chances of young people. Here she explored her interest in the human/ horse connection, seeing the impact that riding, horse interaction and therapeutic work could have on these youngsters.
She sits on the Welfare Committee for Racing Welfare and is a Trustee of the White Stuff Foundation and was recently appointed to the Board of the British Equestrian Federation.

Maddy Playle
Journalist l Racing Post
Originally from Leicestershire and a non-racing background, Maddy fell in love with the sport from an early age and has worked for the Racing Post since 2017. Her role as a digital journalist encompasses both print and digital media, while she also hosts her own video series "Maddy Meets" in which she interviews some of the sport's leading players.
Maddy writes columns for both the Racing Post and its sister publication the Weekender, and her role also involves managing the Racing Post's website and app. She is a regular guest on RacingTV's Luck On Sunday and as a keen tipster and follower of racing across the globe, has a considerable social media following.

Hosted by Dani Jackson
Dani is a Freelance Broadcaster, TV Presenter & Commentator and previously spent a decade at William Hill Bookmakers learning how to broadcast in a live, fast-paced environment. Along the way she developed a passion for commentating – firstly on greyhounds – and is gunning to be the first female racecourse commentator in the UK. 
Since July 2022, Dani has embarked on a freelance career and regularly presents William Hill Racing Radio, Racing Post Greyhound TV, “Gone To The Dogs” podcast and even dabbles in music at North Derbyshire Radio. Alongside these ventures, you will regularly spot her on a racecourse practicing commentating.
Dani went over to the States last year to commentate at Turf Paradise, Arizona. She clearly made an impression as she’s due to go back yearly for experience, and to fill in for their regular announcer. This also opened the door to being the first woman to commentate on a racecourse at Newbury as part of their Female Commentary Initiative.
Dani has a passion for passing on her knowledge of live broadcasting and commentating.