The power of sport to help people: what did we learn from racing’s response to Covid-19 in support of communities?

Join our expert panel, hosted by racing broadcaster Hayley Moore to reflect back on racing’s community response to Covid-19, and to explore what it taught us about the power of sport to help others. Our panellists cover the experiences of football, racing and racecourses – and the powerful impact that community and charity support can have on communities.Meet the Panel:Mike Evans, CEO EFL TrustMike has worked at the EFL Trust for 12 years since its inception. The EFL Trust is the charitable arm of the English Football League (EFL) and was established in 2008 to oversee the remarkable and diverse work of EFL’s Club Community Organisations (CCOs). Its vision is ‘Stronger, Healthier, More Active Communities.’EFL Trust uses the power of the Club badge to reach into communities and deliver a wide range of initiatives, focusing on improving health and wellbeing; raising aspirations and realising potential and building stronger, more cohesive communities. Their network engages with over 880,000 participants and invests over £59m in communities every year.Annamarie Phelps CBE OLY, British Horseracing Authority ChairAnnamarie was appointed Chair of the British Horseracing Authority in 2019. She is Vice-Chair of the British Olympic Association and is a former Olympic rower. She was awarded a CBE for her services to rowing in 2016. At the 2021 European Rowing General Assembly, Annamarie was elected to become the new Chair of European Rowing. She ran a half marathon to raise funds for Racing Welfare earlier this year.Paul Swain, Raceday Experience & Communications Manager at the Racecourse AssociationPaul is the Raceday Experience & Communications Manager at the Racecourse Association (RCA) having joined in 2012 from the British Horseracing Authority’s Graduate Development Programme.Paul oversees the RCA’s award-winning raceday experience programme and manages all internal and external communications for the representative body of all British Racecourses. He is also the RCA’s Diversity & Inclusion lead executive. Paul has played a leading role in a number of the sport’s notable initiatives relating to people and welfare, including Racing Together, Autism in Racing and the national Sunflower Lanyard Scheme.Jon Yates, CEO Berkshire Community FoundationBefore joining Berkshire Community Foundation in 2019, Jon had 12 years’ experience in Community Foundations serving as Development Director at Wiltshire Community Foundation and Chief Executive at Dorset Community Foundations. Jon was made joint CEO in September 2020. Berkshire Community Foundation is a charity that works across Berkshire to raise, then distribute, money directly to vital local causes. They ensure that any form of philanthropy, whether from an individual or an organisation, brings greatest benefit to those most in need in local communities.They are part of a wider membership organisation for 47 UK community foundations; the only national network of charitable funders with a physical presence in every part of the UK.