Ascot Racecourse is delighted to announce the opening of the Ascot Racecourse Supports Sensory Room taking place today, Sunday 24th March.
The first dedicated, permanent space of its kind on a racecourse, the Ascot Racecourse Supports Sensory Room is available to guests aged 16 and under who have neuro-diverse conditions and might need a calm, sensory space to enable them to fully enjoy a raceday.
The room, located behind the Cedar Tree Lawns, was officially opened at the Spring Family Raceday by Mims Davies MP, Minister for Disabled People, Health and Work and Sir Francis Brooke, Chairman and His Majesty’s Representative at Ascot Racecourse. The timing coincides with the build up to World Autism Awareness Day on 2nd April.
Also in attendance were invited families and representatives from neuro-diverse charities, Autism Berkshire, Swings & Smiles, Autism in Racing and Parenting with Special Children.
The first race on the card was named “The Ascot Racecourse Supports Sensory Room Maiden Hurdle Race” and alongside Mims Davies MP, representatives from Total Sensory and Rapid Retail, the suppliers for the sensory equipment and unit respectively, presented trophies to winning connections.
Ascot Racecourse is extremely grateful for the support of the Betting and Gaming Council which has enabled this legacy project to be possible using money that was donated by bookmakers from all profits on the Britannia Stakes at Royal Ascot last year.
The decision to build a dedicated sensory room follows a successful pilot programme run by Racing Together and “Autism in Racing” which saw Ascot host a temporary, mobile sensory unit over our 2022/3 family racedays with families with autistic children invited to attend.
This initiative marks the next step in Ascot’s wider accessibility plans to accommodate and encourage more families, and those from diverse backgrounds, to experience horse racing.
It is also the ambition to open the facility up to any SEN schools and/or charities who may also wish to visit the racecourse either for an event or raceday.
Mims Davies MP, Minister for Disabled People, Health and Work, said: “I've had the pleasure here at Ascot of opening this permanent sensory room. We're really delighted that it is making racing fully inclusive for families and it's wonderful that Ascot are leading the way on this.
“For youngsters who might be enjoying the racing, we've met some of them today with their families. We love the hubbub and the excitement of racing. But actually for some youngsters who are on that neurodiversity scale, it might just get a little bit too much. And it's somewhere for parents, grandparents and those on a family day like this to be part of the raceday but have somewhere cool and calming and suitable just to relax if things perhaps feel a little bit too much.
“It means that all families can be part of that and it's fully inclusive, making racing the opportunity for all families going forward. And of course, these are future racegoers and families too so it's really important that everyone's included. Ascot are making sure of that with this permanent sensory room. It's been an honour to open it today.”
Jacqui Greet, Corporate Social Responsibility Manager at Ascot Racecourse, said: “We are thrilled to be opening the Ascot Racecourse Supports Sensory Room which is a really exciting next step for the racecourse. We have worked closely with Autism in Racing and Racing Together to host a temporary sensory unit on certain racedays and this new space will enable us to offer a quiet, calming space for those who need it on the vast majority of our racedays in the future.
“This is a huge step forward in our journey to make the racecourse more accessible and we hope it will open up a day out at the races for many more people in the local community and beyond.”
Laura Goodman, Sales Director, Total Sensory, said: "We have loved working with Ascot to design and create this stunning Sensory Room, the first of its kind at a racecourse. The room itself is a multi-sensory space aimed to calm and regulate users of all age with stunning fibre optic lights, bubble tubes, interactive sensory panels and relaxing lighting. We hope that the users of this room find it most beneficial and enjoy the space and their day at Ascot.”
ENDS
For more information, please contact:
Nick Smith – Director of Racing and Public Affairs, Ascot Racecourse
[email protected] / +44 (0) 7771 791 449
Will Aitkenhead – Head of Corporate and Industry Affairs, Ascot Racecourse
[email protected] / +44 (0) 7817 124 115
ABOUT ASCOT AND ROYAL ASCOT
Ascot Racecourse was founded in 1711 by Queen Anne, who identified the land as being ideal for horseracing when riding out from Windsor Castle. The first four day meeting at Ascot took place in 1768 and at some point in time, the race programme started being referred to as Royal Ascot.
The two tracks, Flat and Jumps, now provide racing all year round and Ascot hosts 26 days of racing each year, including the five days of Royal Ascot. It is Europe’s premier Flat racing meeting, featuring eight Group 1 races and 19 Group races in total. Typically, 300,000 racegoers attend across the five days while the event is broadcast in more than 200 territories with a reach of 650 million households.
As well as world-class racing, Ascot Racecourse is also used as a film and TV filming location and as a venue for conferences, banquets, exhibitions, product launches and weddings, with 300 non-racing events annually. The land on which Ascot Racecourse sits is leased from the Crown Estate, adjacent to Windsor Great Park, covering 179 acres.
For more information please visit www.ascot.co.uk
