The
Greatwood Charity Race Day, Newbury on Saturday 29th March 2008
Greatwood is undoubtedly one of the most important
racing Charities and as with last year Newbury are allowing Greatwood to
hold a Charity day as part of their race program on March 29th.
We are very keen that you help us raise money for this
great charity, we all know that ex racehorses need new homes and with
funds raised from this day we can help even more horses; so please look
into your pockets and help us.
There are several ways that you can. You might be able
to yourself or you might know of somebody who might help us, so please
get in touch if you can.
Saturday March 29th
2008 is televised by Channel 4
We are looking for two sponsors, one for each of the
first two races.
Race one is The Greatwood Juvenile Novice Handicap
Hurdle over 2mile 3 furlongs. This
race although not televised will be shown as a repeat by Channel 4 as
part of their review of the days racing. We are looking for somebody to
sponsor this race for £10,000.00; for this you will have your name in
front of Greatwood and your name will be all over the marquees and lunch
tables plus you will be able to have two tables of ten for lunch in the
Greatwood Charity Lunch Marquee.
Race two is The Greatwood Handicap Chase 0-140 over 3
miles This race is covered live on Channel 4.
For £20,000.00 you will have your name
associated with this race which will be screened live on Channel 4; and
we would hope to organise an interview with one of Channel 4
'presenters. And of course lunch for 20 people would be included if
wanted..
It might all sound
expensive but can you imagine how much publicity you will generate by
entertaining clients and giving such a welcome gift for a very worthy
racing charity.. Please let me know if you can help. It would be hugely
appreciated
We are also looking for
AUCTION PRIZES, so if you have a
house/villa you would like to donate to the auction we would really
appreciate it, just a week of course would be enough. We are looking for
6 prizes. Any thoughts and ideas would be helpful.
Please feel free to
email me for more information on
kim@kimbaileyracing.com
P McNamara
We have closed
the JP McNamara Fund account. Our last donation came in
from Jackie Iveson who organised what looked like a fun night in aid
of JP; thank you to her and everyone else who has been so generous.
JP is enormously grateful for all the support he has received but feels now that there are more people in need
than him and has asked that any further donations go to the
Injured Jockeys Fund.
Given a 5% chance
of walking following his accident in April 2006, JP has defied all expectations
and is extremely mobile and he's now looking to the future.
For more details you can read today's
article in the Racing Post.
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Road to Recovery
29th January 2007
JP was a guest at
Cheltenham racecourse for their meeting on January 27th and attended
the Club 16-24 charity ball in the evening. Around £3,000 was
raised for the JP McNamara fund which is brilliant. JP is seen below
right
with his girlfriend (photo by Mike Charity - Courtesy Cotswold
Life).
21st January 2007
Read the brilliant
article written by Denis Walsh on his
visit to the yard last week, it appeared in today's edition of the
Sunday Times.
13th January 2007
JP McNAMARA'S remarkable recovery was acknowledged by his former
colleagues when they honoured him with the Jump Jockey Special
Recognition award at the Lesters ceremony.
Jockeys' Association chief executive John Blake said: "I think JP's
situation hits at the absolute core. The awards are voted for by his
fellow jockeys, who provide entertainment for the fans of the sport
day in, day out.
"What has happened to JP could happen to any
jockey at any time. Every part of his rehabilitation process proves
to be inspirational not only to jockeys, but also to members of the
public."
January 2007
A great deal has happened in JP's life since we
last updated this page in November. JP is now driving and walking
almost without the aid of crutches; everybody who has met him or
seen him has been staggered by his attitude and determination, he
has certainly surpassed all the doctors predictions, so much so that
JP is now leading a virtual normal life.
JP goes in most days to
The Royal
Bucks Hospital for physio; he drives himself in which has given
him untold freedom and obviously saves hugely on costs. On this note
I would like to add that
The Injured Jockeys
Fund has been brilliant; it is a true example of how a charity
should be run. Like so many charities you don't appreciate what they
actually do until you need them and the IJF has stepped out of the
shadows and fought for and supported JP all the way.
JP is very much looking forward and although he is
not sure as yet what that will hold; he is though in the
process of buying a new house which will give him plenty to think
about and he is also helping out on a few charities.
It is great to see him back with that twinkle; he
follows all my horses and runners and who rides them; as always he
is full of support and comment and now he is not too afraid to tell
me where i have / am going wrong; and of course he still gives me a
hard time when a horse runs badly!
November 2006
JP continues to make remarkable progress. Everyone was
amazed to see him so mobile at Bangor on his Charity Race day last
week. If you missed Lee Mottershead's excellent article which
appeared the following day,
download it here,
it's well worth the read.
Yesterday we received a call from someone who had
read the article on JP in Monday's Daily Mail, he had had similar
spinal injuries and recognised a lot of what JP is going through.
He just wanted to let JP know the progress he had made, this sort of
feedback from someone further down the road to recovery, is
hopefully encouraging for JP.
October 2006
Saturday's Dinner Dance & Auction at Newbury racecourse was a
great success and it looks as if we raised close to £25,000 for the
JP McNamara Fund. Thank you to all who generously donated to
the auction and the silent auction. Highlights included the
saddlecloth won by Sir Percy in the 2006 Derby which fetched £2,000.
Further news on JP McNamara. Hugo Bevan who is a Injured Jockeys Association almoner, called in to see JP as part of his IJA
role; Hugo was staggered to see how well he had progressed since he
last saw him; JP walked a few steps without the aid of crutches
(most probably to avoid Hugo!).
September 2006
JP is is great spirits in his new hospital; the new team behind him are really forcing him to get on with things; he has discarded his wheel chair and is walking with the aid of crutches every where round the hospital. A great deal of work is being done to build up the strength in his arms and wrists, so that he can sustain the momentum of walking on crutches; as you can imagine the nurses are spell bound by his Irish charm and he has them working overtime on him; not surprisingly they too are caught up by his infectious enthusiasm.
JP is jetting off this weekend to Ireland for the
first time; a home trip to attend a function that is taking place
over there.
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JP called in to see us last week looking remarkably fit and well;
Jason Maguire who had ridden out here that morning drove JP over so
that he too could see what a magnificent place Thorndale Farm is. JP
has become something of a TV celebrity over the last few days, BBC
Midlands have been filming his progress as he took his first steps on
crutches; the whole programme certainly showed that JP had lost none
of his sense of humour or his will to win his personal battle. JP, as
we all know is determined to prove all the doctors totally wrong; they
are actually admitting that he has staggered them by what he has
achieved so far. Anyway JP is now heading off to new surroundings to
keep up his fight to walk; on Tuesday he moves to the The Royal
Buckingham Hospital (www.royalbucks.co.uk).
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Fundraising Highlights
The racing industry has always had a great reputation for helping each other in times of need and JP is enormously grateful to everybody who contributed. Donations from both the Flat racing and Jump racing worlds
came flooding in and over £250,000 was raised
Thank you to everybody who has contributed, you have all been very generous. As well as many kind prize donations to charity auctions, a number of events
were organised.
There was a charity race at Bangor-on-Dee on November 8th which
raised over £12,000 and the Newbury Dinner Dance on October 28th
raised c.£25,000. Paul Nichols has been an absolute star and raised over £50,000 for JP who occasionally rode for him.
Numerous Golf Days and sports matches this summer helped to raise money for JP, including the Doncaster Sales Annual Trainers Golf Day in July after which a very generous cheque of £1,000 was donated from the proceeds of fines raised. Another hugely successful fund raising evening was held at The K Club, Staffan in Ireland in July. Over 100,000.00 euros was raised for the Irish Injured Jockeys fund and The J P McNamara Fund; the evening was kindly sponsored by Eddie Kerr's luxury sports membership.
Charlie Mann raised nearly £25,000 for the JP McNamara Fund at his Golf Day in Lambourn and over 50 teams took part in the Charles Owen Golf Day in August organized by Sam Thomas and Phil Taylor raised over £50,000. Amazing.
Million In Mind, National Hunt Racings most successful syndicate, had an open day at Bill Bromley's Wood Farm Stud, Shropshire at the beginning of August and David Minton’s auction raised nearly £2,000 for the JP McNamara Fund
There was a North v. South Jockeys Football Match at Worcester racecourse after racing with John Francome doing the auction and a charity cricket match in which Warren Marston, Sam Thomas, Tom Scudamore, Philip Hide, Paul O' Neill and Richard Johnson, trainer Nick Gifford and owner Paul Beck all played their hearts out for the JP McNamara Fund and
afterwards a cheque was presented by Bet Direct and other proceeds will soon be pouring in. |
