Cheltenham 2020 / 2021

Diamond Geezer

Diamond Geezer

Gone But Not Forgotten
Joined
May 2, 2003
Messages
13,884
Had the renewal notice come through for annual membership, too late to apply to join a webcast with Bazza- nice one marketing department there, good job - which says that they will refund £10 per day if any of the days up to December are either to be staged with no crowd or limited due to any restrictions and although members will be given first claim, will be on a first come basis if too many apply. Without paying for the Festival, that potentially works out at approximately £9 a day cost if not allowed/unable to attend. I appreciate it's very difficult and they need the money, but to be honest that has put me off renewing it as can't afford to pay for the privilege of not going.
 
I'm not really sure what else they can do GG. What we members are getting had a feeling of inevitability about it. I have every sympathy for a situation not of their making.

My concern is more about raceday arrangements. The Insurance Bar is my usual haunt, but I suspect it'll be quite difficult to a be a 'chosen one'. Also I go with a group of friends, so is everyone going to be spread about the course? At the Festival we pay for Grandstand seats together. How's that going to work? And I seriously hope they have no plans to send any members over the the Best Mate Enclosure for any of the meetings. If that happened they'd have my badge back immediately.

I haven't yet renewed, and these are the questions I'd like answering before I do.
 
I'm sure I saw something Paul that gave members the option on an Insurance Bar Membership, which gave you a seat too, it was obviously extra £££££
 
I’ve taken a punt & bought annual membership as reckon they’ll have first dibs

Been going to Cheltenham for 25+ years but could never get to enough non-festivals dates previously to make it worthwhile, but reckon only annual members will get into the 2021 festival…

Whatever the outcome and worldwide situation, it’s going to be a different experience come March and will be happy enough to be there if I can
 
tiggers1972 said:
I'm sure I saw something Paul that gave members the option on an Insurance Bar Membership, which gave you a seat too, it was obviously extra £££££
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Yes they are Darren. Frontrunner had been on to them and told me yesterday evening. £720 for both combined.

We're trying to get an answer to how they intend to refund for the Insurance Bar costs if spectators aren't allowed, and how they propose that people who attend racing together can be put together in the Insurance Bar and in the Grandstand seats. All of which they're unable to answer.
 
Perpetual said:
I’ve taken a punt & bought annual membership as reckon they’ll have first dibs

Been going to Cheltenham for 25+ years but could never get to enough non-festivals dates previously to make it worthwhile, but reckon only annual members will get into the 2021 festival…

Whatever the outcome and worldwide situation, it’s going to be a different experience come March and will be happy enough to be there if I can
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You are probably right with the above Perp but another issue is accommodation I have been staying with the same folks for the last 20 years and there is no way they will be hosting anyone until there is a vaccine etc..
 
The people you stay with have been trying to find a antedote for 20 years Brian. It turns out it was Covid! :lol:
 
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Insurance Bar membership now sold out but there is a waiting list in the event they are allowed increased capacity.Those who have applied by returning renewal forms have been automatically added to this list.

As well as the Annual Members bar parts of the Princes Royal stand are to be for members only this season and include the Vestey Bar, the Champagne Bar and all the steps in front.
 
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G-G said:
Had the renewal notice come through for annual membership, too late to apply to join a webcast with Bazza- nice one marketing department there, good job - which says that they will refund £10 per day if any of the days up to December are either to be staged with no crowd or limited due to any restrictions and although members will be given first claim, will be on a first come basis if too many apply. Without paying for the Festival, that potentially works out at approximately £9 a day cost if not allowed/unable to attend. I appreciate it's very difficult and they need the money, but to be honest that has put me off renewing it as can't afford to pay for the privilege of not going.
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The rebate is £15 per day for the November meeting.
 
frontrunner said:
You are probably right with the above Perp but another issue is accommodation I have been staying with the same folks for the last 20 years and there is no way they will be hosting anyone until there is a vaccine etc..
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With the likely restricted numbers I guess there will be plenty of places becoming available. We've got a non-refundable cottage booked in Broadway, so am going to be in Gloucestershire anyway!
 
Wouldn't be surprised to see a 5 day festival next year to accommodate more spectators

If they are only gonna let say 15k a day in they would would rather have an attendance of 75k over the 5 days instead of 60k over the 4

Just hope it's a one off if they do
 
Ian Renton email to members today. Looks as if (and it's a big if) Annual Members will have priority if the public are allowed in to any meetings.

Preparations for the dispatch of members’ badges have continued in recent weeks and the first batch was posted yesterday; we anticipate that your pack, which includes your badge for the upcoming season, will arrive with you over the coming weeks.

In the light of the Prime Minister’s announcements yesterday, my accompanying letter now appears unduly optimistic with regard to the likely attendance of Annual Members at Cheltenham in the near future and it would appear that there is a significant chance that your Annual Members’ badge has little value other than a souvenir of the season that never happened.

When you applied for this season’s membership, we detailed the rebates applicable if members could not visit the racecourse in the early part of the season. These rebates are weighted towards The Festival and when calculated for the full season, offer a full refund of your Annual Membership costs, less a £25 fee to cover administration, postage and production costs. In the event that the entire season is lost, we will look at options such as retaining this season’s badges for the 2021/22 season to try to reduce the aforementioned fee.

Please rest assured that, despite the gloomy prognostications that we heard yesterday, we will be working closely with the Government and doing everything in our power to facilitate the return of Annual Members to the racecourse as soon as is possible. We very much hope to be able to welcome you back to Cheltenham at some stage during this forthcoming season. As has been mentioned before, in the event that we have the ability to open the racecourse up beyond participants and racehorse owners, Annual Members will be prioritised.

I trust that you are keeping well in these difficult times and that you look forward to returning Cheltenham Racecourse to some semblance of normality as soon as is possible.

Kind regards,

Ian Renton
Regional Director, Cheltenham Racecourse
 
Difficult to say as I guess quite a few, including two in this house, are holding off renewing until the picture is clearer. One thing I wish to see clarified is that in normal circumstamces if you missed a year and then decided to renew there is a £100 renewal cost on top of the current membership fee of £450 which may increase. I would hope they see fit not to charge that the following season else there would be hastle renewing this year and waiting for the refund(s) and incurring a £25 administration fee per member just to avoid the renewal fee. In our case, still self isolating, renewing our memberships might be a waste of money given we probably wouldn't go anyway.

I would say in a normal year membership might be 10,000 ish ?
 
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I thought the one off £100 joining fee could be waived for a year. So if you decided to give it a miss hopefully by next October they may be a return back to some sort of normality.
I've renewed and if I can't go and attend would use it towards membership the following year thus avoiding the £25 admin fee!
I do know the FA are in talks about getting season ticket holders only into football grounds, I'd imagine racecourses would try and do the same.
 
Me and a few other friends based here in Ireland had a close look at taking out membership this year in order to have priority in getting access to the festival. We reckoned there would be rebates for the autumn meetings, which would narrow the gap between paying for an annual badge and paying for just the four days of the festival quite significantly.

Therefore we almost decided to go ahead until we heard about the £100 joining fee. Given all the other unknowns involved this made it too much of a stretch.
 
I can't tell you where this came from, or even if I'm imagining it, but somewhere in my head the membership is usually around 8000.
 
I am not renewing my membership, nor my TBA ..no point if can't go for foreseeable.

A friend who has no computer/mobile has borrowed my email in case but I have had nothing so will need to check if they let her renew without!

Not sure how having to leave a pub by 10 is going to help though. In the bookies today to watch a race, signs on door saying must wear face mask...2 guys walked in during course of race I was watching without. Staff said nothing. I guarantee one had no exemption card.
 
G-G said:
I am not renewing my membership, nor my TBA ..no point if can't go for foreseeable.

A friend who has no computer/mobile has borrowed my email in case but I have had nothing so will need to check if they let her renew without!

Not sure how having to leave a pub by 10 is going to help though. In the bookies today to watch a race, signs on door saying must wear face mask...2 guys walked in during course of race I was watching without. Staff said nothing. I guarantee one had no exemption card.
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I feel sympathy for staff being expected to take people up on mask wearing. You've no idea the sort of person that you're going to approach - probably more so in a bookies. All sorts of nutters out there that look harmless to begin with.
 
Totally agree with you. In a shop when it had just been introduced, young guy at the door with clipboard , saying hello if had a mask etc...one guy came in without one, the young guy said 'excuse me sir, are you aware it is now mandatory to ….' , the guy launched at him, swearing his head off. The young guy didn't go to say you can't come in, was just trying to politely remind him. Supermarkets full of people not wearing them and I would bet a multi pack of curly wurlies that 90% at least have no exemption reason not to do so.
 
The Novice Handicap Chase has been dropped for the new Mares Chase: https://www.britishhorseracing.com/...place-novices-handicap-chase-at-the-festival/

Little disappointed as enjoyed the novice race as both a spectacle & punting opportunity and cannot imagine there will be runners that would have otherwise missed the festival. Plus side is the RSA and Marsh should be stronger for it

Also, the “Mrs Paddy Power…” is an awful name!
 
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