Stephen Lawrence anniversary: Brighton Racecourse joins national project to remember and reflect

The significant milestone will be a moment for national reflection and racing’s community will celebrate the life and legacy of Stephen Lawrence, while raising awareness of The Stephen Lawrence Foundation’s work.

Six racecourses with fixtures today (April 22), Ayr, Bangor on Dee, Brighton, Newbury, Nottingham and Thirsk, will be marking the day with on-course activity, which will include charitable collections, community engagement initiatives and renaming races in honour of Stephen Lawrence and The Foundation.

Led by Josh Apiafi, one of racing’s leading champions on diversity and inclusion, and supported by Great British Racing, the sport will come together to pay respect and raise awareness of Stephen Lawrence’s death and the relevance of his story today.

Horseracing is the UK’s second biggest spectator sport and by connecting the industry and the communities within racing, the activity has the opportunity to reach the sport’s vast audience and raise awareness of the pertinent cause. Racing will also mark the anniversary through racecard promotions, social media posts and inclusions during broadcast programmes, as well as through raceday activity.

The Jockey Club and Arena Racing Company (ARC) have led the way by donating title sponsorship and race titles at their Nottingham and Brighton fixtures respectively. Both Ayr and Newbury racecourses,who stage the headline fixtures on the day including the Coral Scottish Grand National at Ayr, are joined by Bangor and Thirsk, with promises of support through various means from social media posts to charitable collections on the exit gates.

Josh Apiafi who launched the Racing Pathway strategy in 2019 said: “I’ve been working with The Foundation since last year and was conscious that racing has some fantastic assets that could be brought to the cause to help raise awareness.

"The 30th anniversary of Stephen’s death should be marked as a moment of National significance, with institutions at the heart of British life, such as our sport of horseracing, coming together to ensure that Stephen’s legacy continues to inspire change in classrooms, communities and careers, for generations to come.

“I’m extremely proud at the swiftness of our racecourses to respond to the call for support.”

Jessica Neil (CEO of the Stephen Lawrence Day Foundation) said: “To see an industry the size of horseracing lend its voice to Stephen’s story is truly inspiring. I would like to thank everyone that’s assisting in maximising the day’s awareness and what Stephen’s legacy represents, which is to broaden the view of young people to what's possible and create pathways into education and career opportunities which might not otherwise be open to them.

“My team at the Stephen Lawrence Day Foundation have been working closely with Josh and Lee (Moulson), and together we hope to inspire a more equitable, inclusive society and to foster opportunities for marginalised young people across the UK, in order that they are able to fully explore their own potential.

“The most extraordinary thing about Stephen and all that his legacy has come to represent is how wonderfully ordinary he was. Like every single young person today, he had a lifetime’s worth of untapped hope and potential, that he was not given the chance to explore.

"While we tragically can never know what extraordinary things Stephen would have achieved in his own name had he been afforded the opportunity, we can work together to ensure that every other extraordinarily ordinary young person like him is supported, empowered and uplifted to explore the full breadth and depth of their potential.

“Baroness Lawrence’s vision, encapsulated in the Stephen Lawrence Day Foundation, is that every young person, regardless of their background, has the opportunity and support to flourish in a society that treats them with fairness and respect. The Foundation’s work empowers young people with the knowledge, skills, and qualifications they need to pursue the career of their choice and supports them to progress along their chosen path.

"This work across classrooms, communities and careers, creates the foundations for a fairer, kinder and more equitable society, in which everyone can thrive.”

For find out more visit greatbritishracing.com and racingpathway.com