Unibet announce #GoRacingGreen partnership at Newbury

Unibet have joined forces with Newbury to launch a social sponsorship initiative aimed at making racing more accessible to those who struggle with mental health, with the #GoRacingGreen campaign launching at the course on Saturday.

The brainchild of Debbie Matthews, the #GoRacingGreen programme is designed to assist those who may find attending a meeting a challenging experience.

Racegoers are encouraged to wear something green to show their awareness and support for those around them. Safe and quiet spaces will also be introduced at the track for the first time for Saturday's Unibet-backed Hungerford Stakes day.

The sponsorship, through Unibet's parent company Kindred, follows a series of pledges from bookmakers including the 'whistle-to-whistle' in-play advertising ban from the Remote Gambling Association, and more recently Paddy Power's #SaveOurShirt campaign.

Debbie Matthews: met Altior earlier this year after launching #GoRacingGreenCredit: Edward Whitaker

"This investment is a fantastic boost for the #GoRacingGreen project, and I am delighted to be working with Kindred through its Unibet brand,” said Matthews. "Working in partnership with them, we can now expand the programme and reach many more people with mental health problems across the racing community in the months ahead.”

The safe and quiet space at Newbury will be located behind the paddock, and will include an alcohol-free area.

Newbury is the second course to take up the project after Nottingham introduced a safe space at its course in April, and staff at the Berkshire track have also undergone training on how to assist racegoers experiencing social anxiety.

Ed Nicholson, head of racing communications and sponsorship at Kindred, said: "Having attended the training session undertaken at Newbury earlier in the week, I saw first-hand what a fantastic scheme this is. Our partnership with #GoRacingGreen shows a new model for sport sponsorship is possible."

#GoRacingGreen was introduced by Matthews last January after she publicly spoke of her struggles with mental health on Twitter following a visit to Ascot to see her favourite horse Altior win the Clarence House Chase.

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