A "VARIETY" OF CELEBS AT SANDOWN PARK
24/08/2009
The 51st renewal of Variety Club Day at Sandown Park proved to be as popular as ever, with plenty of fans, including many families, enjoying an action packed day in the sunshine. As part of the fundraising day Sandown Park alone contributed a total of £6,600 to the charity, all of which will go towards helping disabled, sick and disadvantaged children and young adults.
There are always plenty of celebrities at the Esher venue on Variety Club Day and this year was no different with Melinda Messenger, star of Dancing On Ice at the beginning of the year, hosting the day. James McQullian, a local to Sandown Park and one of the semi finalists in this year’s Apprentice also enjoyed a day out, along with TV Presenter Gary Cockerill, Derek Martin – Charlie from Eastenders, Graham Cole – PC Tony Stamp from The Bill and Miss England 2009, Rachel Christie.
The relationship between Sandown Park and Variety Club is one of the longest running in horseracing and all those who enjoyed a trip to the races also supported the charity, who work tirelessly to help sick, disabled and disadvantaged children and young people. The Variety Club is celebrating its 60th Anniversary in 2009 and their raceday at Sandown Park is one of the key events in their year.
As the summer holidays come to a close, a day out at the races proved to be a great way to keep the children occupied, with children aged 16 and under benefiting from free admission and entertainment. The popular TV characters, FiFi and Bumble from FiFi and the Flowertots, made an appearance at Sandown Park during the afternoon alongside bouncy castles, face painting, space hopper races and even a crazy golf course.
Variety Club Day saw the 100,000th paying customer being welcomed to the Esher venue and to celebrate this milestone, Sandown Park offered Mr and Mrs Oldham, who had never been to Sandown Park before, a complimentary lunch in the Tingle Creek Restaurant, prior to racing.
