The Power of Community in British Racing 2025

Due to a technical error the first minute of this recording is missing - apologies for any inconvenience caused. 

This free-to-attend webinar explored the latest news in British racing’s community engagement, social impact and beyond. The panel was hosted by Racing Media Academy graduate Luca Brooks- Edwards.

An expert panel reflected on 2025 activity, including the sport’s new Social Impact Strategy, emerging research and industry-leading fundraising and charity partnerships.

Meet the Panel: Juliet Redfern

With over 34 years of experience in the equine insurance industry, Juliet has spent the past 17 years leading Markel’s Equine and Livestock team, managing a global portfolio covering bloodstock, breeding, sport horses, and farm liability policies.

Juliet also serves as Chair of the Lloyd’s Equine Panel, representing specialist underwriters at Lloyd’s, and is a Trustee of the Injured Jockeys Fund, reflecting her commitment to the racing and equestrian community.

John Baker

John is Chief Executive of Newton Abbot Racecourse and a Trustee of Racing to School, Chairing the Racing Together Subcommittee. As former Managing Director of Aintree Racecourse, he oversaw the development of Aintree’s award-winning community programme, including its partnership with Alder Hey Children’s Hospital and the Aintree Beacon Project with Racing to School.

He is passionate about using racing’s platform to drive positive community impact and inspire young people through education.

Tom Baker

Tom is currently the Head of Social Impact at the BHA and has been tasked with developing a social impact strategy for the horseracing industry. Prior to this Tom spent a year as the Head of Social Investment and Public Affairs at The Jockey Club where he helped to enhance and focus the community engagement activity across the group. A lifelong racing fan, Tom previously spent over a decade working in Olympic and Paralympic sport where he most recently developed a social impact and environmental sustainability strategy for Olympic and Paralympic sport in the UK – helping over 50 sports and over 1,000 athletes find their unique role in addressing social and environmental issues and opportunities.

Daniel O’Sullivan

Dan is currently the Head of Programme Delivery at the BHA and has been leading on Project Beacon which is British racing’s most in depth piece of customer research to date. It has gathered the views of the British public in order to help the sport develop a customer strategy based on a deep understanding of our fans, both present and future. Prior to this Dan spent 25 years leading business change and transformation programmes across a variety of sectors. As a lifelong fan, he completed the Thoroughbred Horseracing Industries MBA at the University of Liverpool Management School to facilitate moving into working in the industry.

Host: Luca Brooks-Edwards

Host Luca Brooks-Edwards is a recent graduate of the Racing Media Academy and works as a Digital Account Manager at CEM Media which supports Raceday TV. Passionate about the sport and its future, Luca is keen to use his platform as a young professional in racing to help inspire others and highlight opportunities for the next generation to get involved in the industry.

About Racing Together Webinars
These popular, free online events for industry professionals focus on a range of community topics discussed by a panel of thought-leaders in their respective fields, both from inside and outside the sport.

Racing Together brings together voices to highlight how racing is working collaboratively to deliver community engagement and create social impact. This episode will discuss a range of new and growing initiatives, why they were created and how they came to life in partnership with charities and local communities.