Nine Cumbrian charities have raised more than £11,000 through fundraising days at Cartmel Racecourse.

Each had the opportunity to fundraise at one of the nine race days during the 2022 season at the South Lakes course.

The charities, who raised a combined total of £11.563.91, are The British Thoroughbred Retraining Centre; The Well Communities CIC in Barrow; Lake District Calvert Trust; Cumbria Community Foundation; Growing Well in Kendal; Racing Welfare; Women’s Community Matters in Barrow; St Mary’s Hospice, Ulverston; and ABF The Soldiers’ Charity.

Lauren Lindsay, communications & engagement manager with The British Thoroughbred Retraining Centre, said: “BTRC were very grateful to have been selected as the chosen charity for the Cartmel Cup Day in August.

“As an aftercare provider it is an important opportunity to educate racegoers about life after racing for the horses they get so much enjoyment out of.

“It was a fantastic day, the crowds enjoyed learning about our work, meeting our mascot Washbear and were very generous in providing donations, so much so we raised over £1,500, of which every penny goes back into helping vulnerable thoroughbreds who need support after their racing days are over.”

For The Well Communities, Ged Pickersgill said: “The day was very emotional and our current residents were full of joy on the journey home. The networking opportunity was amazing and many new friends were made.

“Over £1,000 was raised, a sum which will directly benefit the people we serve.

“But the day was not purely about monetary gain, it was about the hearts we touched: 20 people came to the stand expressing a need for support for themselves or their loved ones.”

Jennifer Scott, fundraising manager at the Lake District Calvert Trust, said: “We are extremely grateful to Cartmel Racecourse for their continued support.

“Inviting Lake District Calvert Trust to be the charity of choice at one of their race days provides a brilliant opportunity for us to raise essential funds and awareness about our work.

“The donations from their racegoers make a huge difference, supporting thousands of people with disabilities to benefit from a visit to our trust every year. ”

Andy Beeforth, chief executive of Cumbria Community Foundation, said: “Cartmel provided the most idyllic location for a day of fundraising in June for the Community Foundation. 

“We raised over £2,500 from a warm and generous crowd of racegoers who reacted positively to the opportunity to help the people and communities of Cumbria. It was an easy ask to recruit volunteers to spend an afternoon at the races.”

South Lakeland mental health charity Growing Well was delighted with its first run-out at Cartmel races in July.

Head of development Richard Eccles said: “We had a fantastic day showcasing our work from our new show gazebo and engaging with racegoers.

“We raised more than £1,100 which we are really pleased with for our first time at Cartmel.”

Adam Ferguson, regional welfare manager of Racing Welfare, said: “We are incredibly grateful for the support from Cartmel Racecourse this year.

“Not only has the opportunity enabled Racing Welfare to deliver support to those working within the racing industry, but also allowed the charity to raise awareness of its work with a broader audience, resulting in a donation of £464.37 from racegoers and supporters.”

Rachael Hoggarth, specialist development lead with Women’s Community Matters, said: “We raised just under £2,000, all of which went towards funding the vital work to support domestic abuse survivors and their families.

“The referrals into our service continue to increase yearly, so to have local events supporting the work we do is very much appreciated.

“We cannot thank Cartmel Racecourse and the racegoers enough for the support they have shown us.”

Ali Alger, from St Mary’s Hospice, said: “We raised £1,482 which will support the ongoing delivery of our core services: Hospice Home, Family Bereavement Support, Living Well programmes and our in-patient unit.

“This day was particularly enjoyable for our hardworking fundraising volunteers as we were taken under the wing of the Rev Nick Devenish who guided us through the judging of the best turned-out horse and the trophy presentation for the first race.”

Geraldine McKay, director of racing at Cartmel, said: “We’re delighted to have been able to help such worthwhile causes in their fundraising efforts and look forward to supporting Cumbrian charities in the future.”