More than £100,000 has been awarded to charities, schools, clubs and community groups across Cheltenham and Gloucestershire through the Centenary Community Fund, with the latest round taking the total support beyond the milestone.
The fund, established by Cheltenham Racecourse, has supported 52 local organisations since it was launched in September 2023 in partnership with the Gloucestershire Community Foundation. Its grants have backed projects covering inclusive sport, mental health, literacy, wellbeing and efforts to tackle poverty across local communities.
The Centenary Community Fund was created to mark the centenary of the Boodles Cheltenham Gold Cup. As part of the initiative, Cheltenham Racecourse committed to reinvesting in people and places in the communities surrounding the racecourse, with funding directed towards grassroots organisations working directly with local residents.
Centenary Community Fund Reaches £100,000 Through Local Projects
The latest funding round provided a further £23,722 to 12 local organisations, taking the overall amount distributed through the Centenary Community Fund beyond £100,000.
Among the organisations to benefit was Cheltenham Tigers Wheelchair Rugby, which received £2,000 towards playing wheelchairs, training and match fees. The funding helped the club strengthen opportunities for people to participate in wheelchair rugby and supported the practical costs involved in maintaining its activities.
Read Easy Cheltenham & Gloucester received £1,200 to train volunteer coaches who support adults learning to read. The project focused on providing individual support for people developing their literacy skills and helping them gain greater confidence through improved reading ability.
Serens Wish was awarded £1,600 towards its 100 Days of Change programme, while Man Up Gloucestershire received £2,000 to provide a safe and supportive space where men could talk about mental health.
These projects reflected the broad range of work supported by the fund, with grants reaching organisations addressing different needs within Cheltenham and Gloucestershire.
Since its launch, the Centenary Community Fund has supported 52 charities, schools, clubs and community groups. An assessment of the grants also estimated that the funding had generated around £705,000 in social value, indicating the wider benefit created by the projects beyond the financial value of the grants themselves.
Cheltenham Racecourse Chief Executive Guy Lavender said reaching more than £100,000 represented an important milestone, but stressed that the greater significance lay in what the funding enabled local organisations to achieve. He highlighted the difference that relatively small grants could make when placed in the hands of organisations with a strong understanding of the communities they served.
The Gloucestershire Community Foundation also welcomed the milestone. Chief Executive Talitha Nelson said the distribution of more than £100,000 demonstrated Cheltenham Racecourse’s continued commitment to communities surrounding its grounds. She noted that the partnership had helped identify projects where funding could have the greatest local impact and enabled grassroots organisations to address needs within their own communities.
The Centenary Community Fund has therefore developed into an important source of support for local initiatives since its introduction in 2023. With more than £100,000 now invested directly into community projects, its contribution has extended well beyond the racecourse itself, supporting organisations working across a range of social and community priorities.
For Cheltenham Racecourse, the milestone also marked the continuing legacy of the Boodles Cheltenham Gold Cup centenary, with the fund providing a direct link between the racecourse’s heritage and practical support for the communities around it.
The Centenary Community Fund has awarded more than £100,000 to 52 organisations across Cheltenham and Gloucestershire since September 2023, supporting projects focused on sport, literacy, mental health, wellbeing and community development.
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