Following its successful trial at The November Meeting, Cheltenham Racecourse’s ‘Love Our Turf’ initiative will be in pace for all four days of The Festival (Tuesday 14th March – Friday 17th March inclusive).
In partnership with local stakeholders including Gloucestershire Police and Cheltenham BID (Business Improvement District), ‘Love Our Turf’ is a community-focussed which aims to promote positive behaviour from racegoers before, during and after racedays.
The activation of ‘Love Our Turf’ at The November Meeting was focused primarily on Evesham Road. At The Festival, the ‘Love Our Turf’ campaign will extend to incorporate other arrival recognised routes including Albert Road, Tommy Taylors, Paddocks Lane and the end of the Honeybourne Line footpath.
Each of the recognised routes to and from the racecourse will be promoted with the use of wayfinding ushers, enhanced street cleaning with more bins and increased toilet facilities.
‘Love Our Turf’ will aim to enhance the whole journey from the town to the racecourse for those arriving at the track on foot with future provision of street entertainers and selfie locations.
Andre Klein, Assistant General Manager at Cheltenham Racecourse, said: “Following its successful trial at The November Meeting, ‘Love Our Turf’ will operate over all four days of The Festival.
“Our relationship with the local community is extremely important to us and following the trial in November it was heartening to see a number of local residents express their gratitude for our efforts.
“At The Festival, there will be an increased number of wayfinding stewards, additional toilet facilities and will be facilitating an enhanced litter picking programme.
“We are also aiming to raise awareness of ‘Love Our Turf’ at The Festival with a significant advertising campaign, which includes distributing postcards promoting the initiative to local hospitality businesses.”
Heath Gunter, Chief Executive at Cheltenham BID, added: "We were thrilled to receive such positive feedback after The November Meeting and are eager to witness the impact of the ‘Love Our Turf’ campaign during the Festival week.
“It is fantastic to see various organisations in the town come together to bring this initiative to life."
