Ripon’s new racing fixture this summer on Tuesday 18th August is due to be a magical extravaganza and that’s not just the racing. As part of the 150th anniversary of Lewis Carroll’s ‘Alice in Wonderland’, the racecourse is pulling out all the stops to celebrate the cities connections with one of Britain’s best loved children’s stories and renowned Authors.
The celebrations start in the lead up to the “At The Races” sponsored raceday, with the perfect competition to keep the kids busy during the school holidays. The racecourse have teamed up with local radio station ‘Stray FM’ & Ripon Libraries to give the children the opportunity to design the front of their special ‘Alice in Wonderland’ Racecard. The competition is open to under 13’s across the region and one lucky winner will not only have their design on the front and seen by thousands of racegoers, but the lucky winner will receive a fantastic prize pot of Lightwater Valley Tickets, Family entry to the race day with Fish n Chips and Ice Cream and a Sweets Hamper. There will also be prizes of tickets to the raceday for the top 20 runners up. Entries can be made online through the Stray FM website, collected from Ripon Library or please contact the racecourse office for an entry form to be posted out. Competition entries close on Monday 10th August with all entries on displayed on the raceday for the children to see their designs.
The Racecourse is also offering some exciting new ‘Mad Hatters’ packages for both adults and children, with Ripon’s ‘Alice in Wonderland’ themed shop on Kirkgate helping create a ‘Magical Wonderland’ in the new Claro Bar to set the scene for the adults ‘Mad Hatters Afternoon Tea’. The children can also join in our festivities over in the Course Enclosure with a range of entertainment including ‘Alice’s Magical Wonderland’. They will be joined by theatre group Page2stage who will be putting on an interactive workshop throughout the afternoon, with added extra games to help the children learn about the story. There will be lots of funfair rides and activities for the children, as well as a special ‘Mad Hatters Picnic’ package for which the children will be welcome to join our own ‘Unbirthday party’ on the day in the course enclosure with Alice, The Mad Hatter and The White Rabbit. They will all be available throughout the day too for photos and meet and greets.
The racecourse is not only offering an afternoon of racing and entertainment, but they are teaming up with local community groups to share the celebrations and spread the proud news of Ripon’s connections with one of the world’s most famous stories. Jennyruth Workshops are a registered charity and social enterprise based in Ripon providing a productive workshop for adults with learning disabilities which enables them to learn life skills in their workshop based near Newby Hall. Their team have been working hard to create some fun activities for the children and will be on hand selling small items on the day with a stall. The Walled Garden another local community group who are based on the outskirts of Ripon near Lightwater Valley on the old site of the Bishops Palace, also have a stall on the day.
Finally the Racecourse have teamed up with their broadcast partners and sponsors of the raceday At The Races to offer 500 FREE TICKETS for the event with a social media promotion. To be in with a chance to win a free pair of tickets to the event please visit At The Races Facebook page (www.facebook.com/AtTheRaces) for entries.
Keep an eye out on Ripon Races social media pages for more information or you can visit their website at www.ripon-races.co.uk or call the office on 01765 530530 to book your tickets for the raceday or to pre-book any of their ‘Mad Hatters’ adult and children’s packages.