Our Community

Local Community Partners

We are proud to work closely with three chosen community charities and community groups each year. In 2026 we will be supporting Clifton Green Primary School, Friends of Rowntree Park and Bereaved Children Support York. Each receive a one-off cash donation, in addition to a variety of benefits. The services of Remy, the Racecourse’s equine ambassador, will also be offered to provide those “surprise and delight” moments.

We are now in our fourth year of the programme, dedicated to supporting local causes. Previous alumni include, I am reusable, York in Recovery, Blueberry Academy, Brainkind, Move the Masses and Collective Sharehouse.

Equine Ambassador - Remy (Goldream)

York Racecourse Equine Ambassador, Remy, continues to work within the community visiting several worthy causes within York. The positive impact of a thoroughbred meeting people has been witnessed by many, including visits to both St Leonard’s and St Gemma’s Hospices. He also brings sheer joy to the younger generation, and it is always a heart-warming moment seeing the children of Clifton Green Primary School getting to know the former sprint champion.

Remy’s work was recognised by winning the Sir Peter O’Sullevan Charitable Trust Retraining of Racehorses Community Impact Award 2024, voted for by the public.

Education in the Community

We host various school, college and university behind the scenes tours around the site, some even travelling from as far as Kentucky.

We hold career days for our community partners which allow them to see an insight of the different career opportunities available at a racecourse, including marketing, grounds work and hospitality roles.

We remain an active supporter of the racing industry initiative, “Racing to School” a charity that supports young people's learning and development through encouraging a broad interest in horseracing, both as a leisure activity and as a possible future career path. The free, nationwide educational activities are supported by the racing industry's community engagement programme 'Racing Together'.

We work closely with local schools in other ways. For example, the Scouts use the Stable Yard as a parking space for their mini bus.

Knavesmire Primary use Car Park D as a sports field. A fantastic way to help the pupils learn new skills and build teamwork.

Community Engagement

The biggest charity meeting in Britain, our Macmillan Charity Raceday has so far raised over £11 million for good causes, this has benefited both Macmillan Cancer Support and many local cancer related charities, such as St. Leonard’s Hospice and York Against Cancer. Come along and support Macmillan’s single biggest fundraising event in June.

We are proud to support local charities, schools and community organisations where we can with raffle prizes to assist in valuable fundraising activities. For a number of years York Racecourse has also sponsored the sporting hero category in the York Community Pride Awards.

York Racecourse arranges via the City of York Council for licenced charity collections on the public highway outside the racecourse on racedays.

Where possible we lend our facilities to good causes, from the use of our trestle tables for community events to public services using the stands as a training venue with our compliments, including fire service training, police dog unit training and the Close Protection Team. Our grounds team work to support the weekly Park Run and the annual Cancer Research’s Race for Life through maintenance of the service road used.

We also work closely with the local police, to ensure compliance with licencing laws. On a raceday, in partnership between the Racecourse, NYP’s Neighbourhood Policing team and the City of York Council we have created a designated walking route to the city centre with the provision of toilets, signage and bins to ensure residents and racegoers continue to respect and contribute to a safe and enjoyable environment for everyone.

Racing Community

We have fantastic partnerships with a number of charities that we support within the racing industry, including Racing Welfare, Injured Jockeys Fund, New Beginnings and JETS, from hosting a coffee morning for retired stable staff to providing meeting rooms.

Our partnership with New Beginnings sees us inspire the new generation, as well as witnessing first hand heart warming moments created by Remy.

We proudly support Racing Together, the collective banner for British Racing’s community engagement. It provides for those who make up our industry, sustains our future and ensures our success is shared by the communities in which we operate.

Throughout the year we have an active programme of events to encourage the next generation of racegoers from activities at our Family Sunday in September to sharing expertise as guest speakers at events.

Give and Gain Day

Each year the team from York Racecourse venture away from their usual day jobs to help their local community by taking part in the Give and Gain initiative. The Give and Gain initiative is the global day of employee volunteering organised by Business in the Community (BITC). Each year, thousands of people from hundreds of companies take part in the official volunteering day.

York Racecourse has a regular dialogue with the City of York Council and local wards and appreciates the help and support it receives from the local community.

For more information please telephone 01904 620911.