'The Grand National is the boost that racing and the economy need'

After two years of lockdowns, restrictions and disruption, it's a delight to welcome punters to JenningsBet shops this week for the Grand National. It’s hard to believe, but this will be the first time we've opened our doors to customers for the Grand National since 2019.

For bookmakers, there's no race like it. The Grand National is always the busiest day of the year and the atmosphere in our shops is amazing. We'll have 50 per cent more staff on shift on Grand National day and all of our shops will open early at 8am so that customers have plenty of time to get their bets on. Our staff know they'll be busy – the last time shops were open in 2019, we took 112 bets a minute up to the race going off.

This year the atmosphere will be even more special. Our 86 shops will be buzzing, especially our new branch in Ware, which opens on Grand National day itself. The contrast between now and 2020 is remarkable.