Cheltenham Membership

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redhead

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I sent the following e-mail to Craig Staddon, who is charge of membership at Cheltenham. It has always been the case that Junior and Senior membership have been the same price, but that Senior membership excludes the Festival so, finally getting around to asking:

Dear Craig

Just out of curiosity, why does Senior Membership exclude the Festival, while Club 18-24 gives access for the full 17 days racing for the same price?

I have often wondered why this is and, having been a full member since my early twenties and never having missed a Festival in the last 30 years, would still expect to be attending once reaching my senior years.

Such a pity that such long-term support won't be reciprocated by a reduced price.

It seems rather unfair that those below 24 should enjoy greater benefits for the same price as someone on a pension who has probably supported Cheltenham for so much longer.

Many thanks for your reply.

Kind regards.

I am still awaiting a reply. He is usually very prompt with other queries.
 
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Isn't this a racing thread ?



I suspect that Senior Membership excludes the Festival as a lot of senior members find the crush too much to cope with - if they don't then they can buy full membership like anyone else.
 
Yes, this is a racing thread, and surely Cheltenham Racecourse membership is a racing topic. At least I think iso, as of interest to those who go racing there.

I asked the same question in a meeting I had to attend with Edward Gillespie and one of the racecourse Directors. The reply was that most of the over 65ers no longer want to attend every day of the Festival and prefer to just go one or two days. Apparently this came out of some poll or something which they did to find out what they wanted. That age group is, according to them, their biggest growth area in membership. They also said that if they do want to attend all 4 days in one year they can obtain good special deals, and some of them do hospitality for one or two days anyway which includes admission with their meals. Some of us at this meeting laughed and said we would be more likely to be in the Best Mate enclosure with our mates, thermos and sandwiches.

I agree with you, I'd rather have a cheaper all in membership for my pension years.

Will be interesting to see what Craig replies.
 
Cheltenham should be congratulated on giving the youngsters tickets to the Festival for nothing, the young people are the future of racing and expecting the regular young racegoer to fork out £120 or however much it is over the week isn't going to get them coming back. I'd say in the long term they're more likely to exclude everyone from the meeting than include the over 65's as well.

Under 25's and OAP's should pay the same price to all meetings IMO - Racing For Change go on about the future of racing but at most courses it's free until you turn 16 and then it suddenly becomes £20 when you're in college.
 
I can see both sides there. I agree that it is good to get youth involved, but also the course could give some kind of concession to the elderly. It's not like they are going broke or anything ...... and in fact I was told that the over 65 is something like 800 members. Out of 8,000 main membership.
 
IS - most, if not all, courses give students (on identifying themselves as such) a discount in line with the Seniors' deal. Lingfield has just gone to free entry for under-18s (not sure if that's rolled out across all of Arena's courses), so attempts are being made to encourage younger people. The only snag is that they're still supposed to be accompanied by a 'responsible' adult - which could be, of course, an 18 y.o. student.
 
Yes, I know that, and do think it's great as eventually all of us old lot will be gone and racetracks would be empty. However, I was just agreeing with Red that perhaps the elderly deserve some kind of thank you if they have been keeping racecourses alive for 30-40 years.

I'm going to be (well, already am actually) in the poor bracket and after God knows how many years of paying full would just be nice to think we got some small discount for the Festival.
 
Sorry - the 'IS' was aimed at Irish Stamp, not Isi, Isinglass! Just being lazy and saving myself a few letters. :D
 
That's great Kri but I think Lingfield are one of the few courses who do offer a student discount (in line with providing a valid student card of course).

Personally I'd encourage all racecourse to let OAP's and the youngsters in for half of Tatt's and as Is says most of the people at racecourses on a week day tend to be those who are retired. Though it's not fair that only OAP's get in cheap when racing is attempting to target its future audience.
 
What a load of bull - why on earth shouldn't senior members also be entitled to go to the Festival as well as the juniors, especially when they pay the same money? The ridiculous notion that Cheltenham may have done it out of some sort of conscientious move as many seniors don't enjoy the crush is hogwash, they can always choose not to go. The assertion that pensioners on their reduced means can "buy full membership like anyone else." is chippy, arrogant and insulting.
 
It's all of those and damned patronising about 'the crush', when the course likes to pretend there isn't one! What I think it's trying to say is that pensioners aren't likely to arrive ready for an all-day piss-up at vastly-inflated bar prices, or hire their second-mortgage level hospitality boxes for corporate colleagues. No, they won't - but they won't need the hiring-in of hundreds of coppers and security staff, either, to stop them lobbing bottles at each other, fighting in the carparks, or vomiting themselves into a coma in the loos.
 
Ardross said:
Isn't this a racing thread ?



I suspect that Senior Membership excludes the Festival as a lot of senior members find the crush too much to cope with - if they don't then they can buy full membership like anyone else.
Click to expand...

Ban Ardross.

Argumentative and ageist.
 
Melendez said:
Ban Ardross.

Argumentative and ageist.
Click to expand...


:lol:

Those are not my views I was setting out what I assumed that Cheltenham would give as the difference between the two memberships - senior and junior.

I would in fact take the opposite view - junior membership is likely to be cheaper not merely to attract people into racing but in recognition of likely lower income . The same likelihood of a lower income applies to retired people .
 
krizon said:
but they won't need the hiring-in of hundreds of coppers and security staff, either, to stop them lobbing bottles at each other, fighting in the carparks, or vomiting themselves into a coma in the loos.
Click to expand...


youve been to my mums friends sheltered housing then....:cool:

Its disgraceful if SCs dont get some sort of concession - EVERYWHERE else that sells tickets seems to give one, agricultural shows,cinemas, concerts, theatre - why on earth not Cheltenham too??
 
Result!

The new membership form for Redhead II has arrived and there is a clear difference in the price of Senior Membership - which excludes the Festival - and the Junior Membership, which includes it.

£118 for Senior Membership without the Festival, as opposed to £190 for Junior Membership with the Festival. Before they have been the same (and more expensive for the Seniors).
 
Mmm, Full Membership including the Festival is £310 and £145 excluding it leaving a cost saving manoeuvre if living locally of buying the latter and buying admission for say two days at The Festival separately and watching two at home saving £50 or so.

Interestingly they have 26 parking spaces in Row A right outside the Hall of Fame entrance for sale at £400 for the week which will raise the racecourse £10 grand.

Anyone not severely disabled and lazy enough to fall for that should be ashamed of themselves and so should the racecourse for charging anyone who is disabled that amount.
 
Diamond Geezer said:
Interestingly they have 26 parking spaces in Row A right outside the Hall of Fame entrance for sale at £400 for the week which will raise the racecourse £10 grand.

Anyone not severely disabled and lazy enough to fall for that should be ashamed of themselves and so should the racecourse for charging anyone who is disabled that amount.
Click to expand...

Very good point. Is it just for Festival week or for the whole season?

I wonder how many people would be daft enough to fall for that one?
 
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