A dream comes true… in Lambourn

Avid horse racing fan Graham Baskott, from Bulkington in Wiltshire, fulfilled a lifelong ambition trecently when he met top racehorse trainer Charlie Mann in Lambourn. Graham was gifted the once-in-a-lifetime opportunity, which came just days before his 80th birthday, by experience gift company Red Letter Days as part of their #NoMoreSlippers campaign.

The trip was of special significance for Graham, whose passion for horse racing was ignited at the age of 12. Graham has spent his life fully immersed in his beloved sport, and this passion has rubbed off on his family too. He worked as a Progress Chaser at Rolls Royce before retiring, and spent years saving up to enable his children to learn how to ride. His passion for horses quickly spread through his family. He led his two-year-old grandson on his first pony ride, and acted as the groom for his granddaughter at her first show-jumping competition. 

On 27th November, Graham was treated to a day with Charlie Mann at his Lambourn stables in the heart of Berkshire’s ‘Valley Of The Racehorse’. Charlie was a very successful National Hunt Jockey for 15 years before breaking his neck in a fall in 1989. He started his career as a trainer in 1994, and in 1995 he rode and trained the winner of the Grand Pardubice on It’s A Snip.  The two met over breakfast before heading up to Charlie’s famous Lambourn gallops to watch the horses being put through their paces. Graham’s special day finished with an exclusive tour of the yard, an opportunity to meet the horses, and plenty of time to ask Charlie the burning questions he’d been saving up for over 60 years.

Graham’s daughter Clare Baskott got in touch with Red Letter Days to tell them about his passion after hearing about their #NoMoreSlippers campaign, which gives older people the opportunity to have the adventures they’ve always dreamed of, empowering them to continue to live life to the fullest. Clare wanted to make her Dad’s racing dream come true as a thank you for a lifetime of happy memories influenced by the sport, and to give him an 80th birthday surprise that he would never forget.

Graham Baskott said:

“I’d like to say a big thank you to Red Letter Days for the day they put on for me. It was most enjoyable and I’d like to do the same again some time! I had the most enjoyable morning and thoroughly enjoyed everything I saw. It’s nice because it’s my 80th birthday coming up, and it was nice to come round and see the workings of the stable. Charlie Mann and his wife put on a lovely show. I’m so happy about it all. Over the moon.”

Clare Baskott, Graham’s daughter, said:

“Dad’s love of horse racing began at such a young age. His friend’s Dad was a bookie’s runner, and they’d put on bets with him. Their bets were locked in the old-style ‘clock bag’ and his friend’s Dad would run them around the bookie’s office based above a local shop.

“I still vividly remember when I was ten, Dad was determined to take us on a family trip to Royal Ascot but couldn’t afford it. He set off to the bookies with his plan to win his family a day at the races, and won £250!  We were all treated to some befitting new outfits and a memorable family trip at Ascot.

“Being able to make this horse racing dream come true for him on his 80th birthday really was such a treat, as after a lifetime of passion and admiration for the sport and Charlie Mann, it was a real dream come true for him. Thank you to Red Letter Days for making this happen.”

Ageism is a rising issue in the UK, despite the fact that adults over the age of 65 contribute £152 billion to the UK economy each year through employment, caregiving and volunteering. (Source: Age UK)

Red Letter Days’ #NoMoreSlippers campaign aims to challenge preconceptions around what older people are capable of, and remind everyone to ask and listen to loved ones’ Christmas wishes, rather than making assumptions.

#NoMoreSlippers
#redletterdays