Racing Welfare reach out to those in need during the Covid-19 crisis
14th April 2020
The current Covid-19 crisis has affected many people who may never have had to apply for welfare support before and the racing industry is no different. The temporary cancellation of racing, along with the latest nationwide restrictions, have posed a threat to jobs and businesses within the industry.
Racing Welfare, a charity that supports anyone working in the racing and breeding industry, has seen a notable increase in demand for their services. Between the 17th March and the 7th April, the charity supported a total of 551 individuals with Covid-19 related issues. The average weekly support of individuals has increased by 290%. The charity’s online self-help usage has also gone up, with the number of people using this service increasing markedly since the Covid-19 outbreak compared with previous weeks.
Racing Welfare has a team of welfare officers across the country who have been reaching out to their local communities in new ways to ensure they are staying connected to those in need. The charity’s offices in the South and East regions, which cover the main racing hubs of Lambourn and Newmarket, as well as surrounding areas, have created a database of local services that could be helpful to their beneficiaries. The team have also made more than 400 calls to beneficiaries over the age of 60, many of whom are retired, to check they are getting all the essentials they need and to provide a friendly voice in a time of isolation.
Racing Welfare would like to stress that they are here to support anyone who is employed in racing and is in need of help at this time. They have created a Covid-19 support page which is being kept up to date with all the latestinformation and guidance, and also includes a link to a Wellbeing Toolkit. The toolkit was created in partnership with Great British Racing to support the mental health and wellbeing of racing’s workforce during the outbreak. All the guidance can be found at www.racingwelfare.co.uk/coronavirus-information-guidance-support.
The charity has also introduced a streamlined application process for the provision of Covid-19 hardship grants for anyone working in the British horseracing and breeding industry. The grants are designed to help those who are in need of immediate financial assistance due to the outbreak.
The new application process has been designed to make obtaining a hardship grant as simple and efficient as possible. The grants have been calculated into fortnightly amounts for a single applicant (£150) and that of a family (£210). The payments are intended to cover immediate basic needs, such as food, electricity and heating.
In addition to this extra support, Racing Welfare continues to offer its day-to-day services for all those working in racing, having adapted working practices to adhere to government guidelines.
Brian Watson, Southern Regional Welfare Manager, commented: “Although our offices are closed at this time, we are still here to support anyone working in racing. Schemes such as Racing’s Occupational Health Service and the Careers Advice and Training Service are still accessible, so we would encourage you to maintain contact with your local Racing Welfare team at this time. Whether you are directly affected by the current crisis, or something else, we are always here to help.”
Those in need of support should contact Racing Welfare directly; the charity’s Lambourn office number (01488 670034) is manned from 9am – 5pm, Monday-Friday
Alternatively, 24-hour support is available via Racing’s Support Line on: 0800 6300443.
