Successful day at the races

Generous race goers donated a staggering £4,800 to St John Ambulance to fund its lifesaving work when volunteers from the charity held a fundraising day at Royal Windsor Racecourse.

Hospitality lunch

Over 70 private and corporate supporters of the charity attended a hospitality lunch hosted by St John Ambulance Berkshire, which was held in an exclusive private suite in the grandstand with prime view of the winning post.

Raffle tickets were on sale to diners throughout the afternoon with prizes including champagne, tickets for the 2010 Windsor Horse Show and vouchers for a number of local services and attractions.

The event took place during the racecourse’s August Family Fun Day which saw over 8,000 people turn out for a days racing and family activities where St John’s team of first aiders were on hand to attend to the medical needs of visitors and jockeys alike. At the end of the day a team of St John volunteers manned each of the exits holding out blankets into which people could throw their donations.

The last race of the day was named the ‘St John Ambulance Text Donate to 85010 handicap stakes’ to highlight the charity’s fundraising efforts. Prizes for the owner of the winning horse named Corton Charlemagne and stable lad of the best turned out horse were presented by representatives of St John Ambulance Mr Iain Griffin and Judith Condon, who donated funds for the privilege.

The Text Donate to 85010 campaign allows donors to send a simple text message in order to automatically donate £3 to St John Ambulance. This means that people who wish to donate money to St John Ambulance Berkshire are able to do so even if they do not have any cash to hand. The charge will be made to the donor’s mobile phone bill.

Speaking of the event, Kim Adrian County Fundraiser for St John Ambulance Berkshire said, ‘We are thrilled that so many people gave so generously at the lunch by buying raffle tickets and to the blanket collections. Our volunteer first aiders are present at every event at Royal Windsor Racecourse as well at hundreds of other events across the county providing first aid and enabling visitors to enjoy their days safely, so it’s great that people clearly recognise this and appreciate the wonderful work we do. We are also looking forward to receiving even more donations via our text to donate campaign.’