Day of Firsts at Newbury Racecourse Family Day

Thousands of people are expected at Newbury Racecourse on Sunday (August 5) for ‘Vodafone in the Community Day’ – a fun-packed family day of racing which includes several notable ‘firsts’.

A new event for Newbury will be the BBC’s Reading and Writing (RaW) ‘roadshow’ event. The campaign is aimed at improving adult literacy and it is the first time the RaW roadshow has visited any racecourse.

Newbury’s racing correspondent, Luke Harvey, will be visiting the roadshow and remembering some of his favourite racing books in the RaW tent, while a professional storyteller will also be hand to read stories throughout the afternoon, encouraging parents to read to their children.

Limited copies of the BBC’s RaW storytelling activity book ‘Max and Lara’s Amazing Travelling Space Circus’ will be given out on a first come first service basis to children attending the storytelling sessions.

Racecourse PR and sponsorship manager, Lisa Ward, said: “The RaW project has been touring the country, but it is the first time racegoers will have a chance to see what it is all about. It is a great initiative and one we are keen to support and we thought our family day was the ideal meeting for them to get their message across.”

Family Sunday is also packed with activities: camel racing comes to the racecourse for the second year running and there is a falconry display, parade of beagles, animal corner, and fun and games for youngsters, such as face painting and bouncy castles.

Another bonus for the racecourse is the appearance of Reading FC captain, Graeme Murty, who is visiting with family and friends, and completing the local line-up will be the Mayor of Newbury, councillor Adrian Edwards. He visits in his official capacity to present the trophy to the winning owner of the feature race, the European Breeders’ Fund Chalice Stakes.

Lisa Ward, added: “This is going to be such a good day out for families to come racing and enjoy lots of great entertainment. Under 18s get in free, so if there are people out there who haven’t been racing before and would like to give it a try, this is the ideal day!”

Gates open at 11am. Entertainment starts at 11.45am with the parade of beagles, and the first race is run at 1.10pm.

31.07.07