The Riding A Dream Academy, which was set up in the wake of Khadijah Mellah’s historic win in the 2019 Magnolia Cup, has formally become part of the British Racing School (BRS).
The Academy was established in 2021 with funding from the Racing Foundation to support young people from diverse ethnic communities and disadvantaged communities into British racing. As a discrete diversity project within the BRS, the Academy will continue to support these groups though its transformational riding-based programmes which include Taster Days, Residential Weeks and a year-long Scholarship.
Khadijah Mellah co-founder of the Academy said, “We are very grateful to the British Racing School who have delivered all of our programmes through their world-class team of instructors. Together, we have introduced hundreds of young people from underrepresented communities into racing, with many now working in the sport. By working even more closely, I am excited about the scope we will have to introduce even more young people to this amazing sport.”
Naomi Lawson, co-founder and director of the Academy said, “We are incredibly excited to be formally joining The British Racing School which has been absolutely instrumental in the success of the Academy. The partnership marks an exciting new chapter for the Academy, offering unparalleled opportunities to grow the numbers of young people we work with from underrepresented communities, whilst continuing to support racing in becoming more diverse and inclusive.”
Andrew Braithwaite, Chief Executive of the British Racing School said, “We’re very proud of the work we have done with the Riding A Dream Academy and the impact it has had in getting more young people into the sport. Bringing the Academy in house reflects our shared commitment to making racing more accessible to all communities. This partnership allows us to combine our resources and expertise, and ensure that young people, regardless of their background or ethnicity are able to go on and thrive within racing through our world-leading courses.”
As part of the changes, Naomi Lawson will move in-house at the BRS, continuing in her role as Director of the Academy, whilst also taking on a broader engagement role to introduce more young people to the opportunities at the school. The Riding A Dream Academy is the only riding-based programme within British racing dedicated to supporting young people from diverse ethnic communities and disadvantaged backgrounds. 74% of Riding A Dream Academy students come from a diverse ethnic background, far exceeding the 2-3% of jockeys in Britain from these communities. Most recently the third year of Khadijah Mellah Scholarship students graduated from the Academy.
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