Racing Foundation-funded project to improve racecourse accessibility for those with disabilities

27 Feb 2023

The Racecourse Association, on behalf of all British racecourses, are aiming to enhance the raceday experience for all those living with mental and physical disabilities by commissioning audits to review the accessibility of racecourses.

The project, which has been funded by the Racing Foundation along with racecourse contributions, will run for three years and allow racecourses to address any areas requiring attention following their audit to make them more accessible.

Third party agencies LiveTourism and Level Playing Field are the delivery partners conducting the audits aided by former jump jockey Jacob Pritchard Webb who is passionate to improve standards for racegoers living with disabilities.

“This project meant a great deal to me and being able to be a part of it was important,” said Pritchard Webb.

“Following my life changing injury, I felt my experiences of being a wheelchair user who regularly goes racing would be helpful and jumped at the opportunity to be a part of the audits that were done on the racecourses.

“Racing should be accessible for all people, regardless of the disability and these audits covered all those areas thoroughly.

“I felt in the reports and feedback given we have been able to help educate and advise racecourses on what improvements could be made going forward.”

Rob Hezel, Chief Executive at the Racing Foundation who is funding the project alongside contributions from the racecourses, said: “It is vital for the survival of British racing that as many people as possible are able to enjoy a day at the races regardless of their personal circumstance, which is one of the reasons why the Racing Foundation has a key focus on funding ED&I projects within the sport.

“Racing must be for all and we trust the Foundation’s three-year funding of the RCA’s Racecourse Accessibility Project will lead to an improved race day experience.”

The racecourse accessibility assessments already undertaken uncovered a series of trends consistent across participating racecourses, including both areas of best practice and areas for improvement. The average score of 69% indicates that racecourses offer a good experience for customers living with disability, however there is a great deal the sport can do to raise this standard higher.

The RCA and racecourses will soon begin an on going work stream to address topics including the layout and staffing of catering/bar areas and the maintenance of accessible washroom facilities, whilst best practice can be found in the provisions made to aid visually/audibly impaired racegoers and viewing areas for people requiring wheelchairs.

“This project represents a significant undertaking for the RCA and our members,” said Paul Swain, Raceday Experience & Communications Manager at the RCA.

“We are aware from anecdotal feedback that there are areas to address regarding accessibility and we have supported these hypotheses with sector-leading analysis and expertise.

“Our attention is now firmly on working closely with our members to address the areas which are impacting racegoer enjoyment the most and also to share the best practice which is in evidence across British racecourses. The sport prides itself on being a great day out for all and this project is another example of how we are taking action to prove our commitment to this statement.

“I am grateful for the Racing Foundation’s unwavering support with the Racecourse Accessibility Project and to the participating racecourses for investing their resource in this key area.”