The Variety Club Race day 2009

Written by James Gadsby-Peet 24th August 2009

With seven races being run, hundreds of families in attendance and thousands of pounds being raised for sick, disabled and disadvantaged children and young people, The Variety Club Day at Sandown Park was a complete success.

Drenched in glorious sunshine, the course opened at 12pm with a host of celebrities first in line. TV presenter Melinda Messenger fronted the day, along with Gary Cockerill and Phil Turner, Tony Craig, Derek Martin, Graham Cole, Ed Stewart and Miss England, Rachel Christie amongst others .

There was a great family feel at the Surrey venue, with plenty of entertainment for the children. Fi Fi and Bumble, the popular characters from the hit show Fi Fi and the Flowertots, were at the course along with face painting and bouncy castles to keep the little ones amused. There was plenty for older children to enjoy as well including horse hopper races with prizes to be won, while the adults enjoyed an afternoon in the sun watching the races and enjoying the atmosphere.

As well as the fabulous races there was a Variety Club Sunshine Coach presentation thanks to our supporters De Vere Venues and the fantastic work that they have put into raising funds for the vehicle which was donated to The Log Cabin. The Log Cabin is an inclusive adventure playground for children and young people aged 4-15 who have special needs or disabilities and the coach will be used to take hundreds of children each year on new and exciting adventures.

Melinda Messenger, Variety Club supporters and representatives from De Vere Venues present the children of The Log Cabin with their brand new Sunshine Coach

The unclaimed Raffel tickets were Numbers 00030, 00110 and 01661. Please contact Hannah Smith at The Variety Club offices on 0207 428 8100 to claim your prizes.