Racing Welfare launches £500,000 Covid-19 emergency appeal

Racing Welfare has launched an emergency appeal to raise £500,000 due to a pronounced drop in income owing to the impact of the coronavirus.

The charity, which provides support for all those involved in the sport, says it has seen demand for its services soar since the outbreak of the coronavirus pandemic. However, the cancellation of fundraising events has left a half-million hole in its funds.

The emergency appeal has been given a kickstart by an anonymous £50,000 donation from a prominent figure within the industry.

'It's a crisis we've never seen before' – Racing Welfare riding to the rescue

Simone Sear, Racing Welfare's director of welfare, said: "We have had to stop all yard, racecourse and stud visits, so we've formed a team to look at how we can stay connected with our community and keep that conversation going.

"We're still calling yards to check they're okay and maximising our telephone befriending service, which has been running for some time. If we do call someone and they're in trouble, it's about us knowing how we can help them and get support to them."

Racing Welfare said its support of individuals has increased by 290 per cent since the start of the crisis and between March 17 and April 7 the charity supported a total of 551 individuals with Covid-19 related issues.

Donations can be made to the emergency appeal here.

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