Newbury to set up 'pub in the paddock' and show live action on Derby day

Newbury racecourse has taken a novel approach to recouping some of the losses due to the Covid-19 pandemic with the course opening its doors on the first weekend restrictions are eased to create a pop-up 'pub in the paddock' for guests to enjoy live sport.

ITV's Investec Derby and Oaks programme will be followed by Sky Sports' coverage of Arsenal v Wolverhampton and Chelsea v Watford for an eight-hour marathon of live sport on July 4, while on Sunday they will show seven hours of Premier League coverage.

The big screens overlooking the paddock will show the action to a "safe and socially distanced" crowd with food, drinks, seating pods and deckchair areas available to reserve for free in advance.

Newbury's chief executive Julian Thick said: "With an abundance of outside space here at the racecourse and with pubs reopening on July 4, we wanted to offer our loyal customers and the local community a safe and socially distanced space to come and enjoy some live sport and catch up with friends and family.

"We are delighted to launch our pop-up beer garden experience, with a capacity for up to 300 people with social distancing measures in place and we hope it might prove popular.

"With pubs and other venues reopening next weekend, we hope it won't be too long before we can start to welcome owners, sponsors and customers back through our gates at racing events in the not too distant future."

The racecourse will strictly follow government guidelines with cashless payments, contact details captured and social distancing in place at all times.

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