Following the cancellation of crowds returning during the remaining three days of the St Leger Festival pilot event on Thursday 10, Friday 11 and Saturday 12 September, Doncaster Racecourse has donated the surplus food that had been prepared to local food bank, Given Freely, Freely Given.
A range of freshly prepared pies, afternoon teas and cheese and meat platters will now be enjoyed by vulnerable communities in the Doncaster suburb of Balby, less than three miles away from the racecourse
Reverend Alun Price, Vicar Balby, Loversall and Wadworth, said:
“What an amazing donation. These delicious meals will make a lot of people going through a tough time at the moment very happy. For some, this will be the first time they’ve been able to enjoy afternoon tea – what a treat.”
Rachel Harwood, Executive Director at Doncaster Racecourse, said:
“We’re very happy that people will still get to enjoy all the food that had been prepared for this week’s racing. We certainly didn’t want this to go to waste, so we are very grateful Given Freely, Freely Given has been able to help us distribute these provisions to those in need in the local community.”
Doncaster Racecourse, owned by Arena Racing Company, was due to welcome back reduced crowds during the historic four-day St Leger Festival as one of the country’s first sporting pilot events. After a limited crowd returning on the opening day of the St Leger Festival on Wednesday 9 September, Doncaster Racecourse was instructed to hold the remaining three days of the St Leger Festival (on Thursday 10, Friday 11 and Saturday 12 September) to be run behind closed doors on the grounds of public health and public safety. A full statement can be found here.
