WellChild is Official Charity Partner of The Festival™ in 2022
It is announced today that WellChild will once again be the official charity partner of The Festival™ at Cheltenham in 2022
WellChild was official charity partner for the first time in 2021 when The Festival was held behind closed doors due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Colin Dyer, Chief Executive of WellChild, said: “We are delighted to be working with The Jockey Club again this year as Official Charity Partner of the Cheltenham Festival 2022.
“We would like to thank The Jockey Club and everyone involved with The Festival for the energy, enthusiasm and hard work they have put into including WellChild in this year’s event and supporting our work with seriously ill children and their families across the UK.
“In fact, we would like to thank the entire racing community – from owners, trainers and jockeys through to racing fans everywhere, for the huge boost they are giving to families with complex needs children. Times are very tough for the families that WellChild support and those difficult days look set to continue. Thanks to you we can offer hope and practical help to them as they carry on the struggle to give their children the very best chance to thrive.”
In recognition of the partnership between WellChild and The Jockey Club, the horse walkway will be renamed the WellChild Walkway for 2022. The WellChild Walkway will be opened on the first day of The Festival (Tuesday 15th March), by Sir AP McCoy, Ed Chamberlin of ITV Racing and Colin Dyer, Chief Executive of WellChild.
A Festival preview evening will be staged in the Centaur at the racecourse on Sunday 13th March. Hosted by Oli Bell, the panel will include be Ruby Walsh, Emma Lavelle and Barry Geraghty. Tickets cost just £10 with all proceeds going to WellChild. Book tickets here >>
Cheltenham’s Style Ambassador, Rosie Tapner, will work with the racecourse and John Lewis to style a WellChild mum to ensure she and her family are raceday ready. Cheltenham Racecourse will then supply badges for the WellChild mum to enjoy The Festival in her new outfit!
Boodles, recently announced as sponsor of the Cheltenham Gold Cup, will be donating a piece of its signature “Raindance” diamond jewellery to auction off with all proceeds going to WellChild.
Ian Renton, Managing Director for Cheltenham Racecourse and The Jockey Club’s West Region, said: “We were delighted to be able to step in and help WellChild in 2021, when we were still under lockdown and The Festival was held behind closed doors.
“Fortunately, 12 months’ on we are in a much better place and are looking forward to full crowds returning to The Festival for the first time since 2020. I believe this can only build-on and further strengthen our partnership with WellChild as we are able to showcase its invaluable work to an even wider audience.
“We already have a number of exciting and innovative activities planned and we will be working closely with WellChild over the coming days to ensure we all enjoy a Festival to remember in 2022.”
“I have been an ambassador for WellChild for over a decade now and it was heartening to see the link-up between racing and WellChild last year during the depths of pandemic.
Ed Chamberlin, ITV Racing’s Lead Presenter and WellChild ambassador, said: “I have been an ambassador for WellChild for over a decade now and it was heartening to see the link-up between racing and WellChild last year during the depths of pandemic.
“I hope we were able make more people aware of WellChild’s outstanding work through the ITV coverage in 2021 and look forward this year to building-on and expanding the relationship between WellChild and The Festival as we hopefully enter brighter times for us all.”
