Ffos Las Racecourse news: Fantastic auction items to raise funds for Swansea Valley Miners Appeal

Wednesday 12 October: BIDDING has started on an array of auction items that will raise tens of thousands of pounds for the Swansea Valley Miners Appeal Fund over two days of horse racing at Ffos Las Racecourse.

The official appeal has already raised £300,000 - and the Carmarthenshire racecourse hopes to add much more to the total.

The fixtures dedicated to the appeal fund are on Friday 4 and Sunday 6 November when musical entertainment is planned for visitors alongside two afternoons of horse racing.

Among dozens of auction items - for which bids are already being accepted online at ffoslasracecourse.com - are:

* Beer for a year from Felinfoel Brewery;
* Hospitality for ten people at Cheltenham Racecourse on Gold Cup day next March;
* Morning on the gallops and a day's racing with Gold Cup-winning trainer Nicky Henderson and Welsh trainer Tim Vaughan;
* A day with Channel 4 Racing;
* Four ball golf at Gleneagles Hotel in Scotland with overnight accommodation;
* Hospitality for two at Tottenham Hotspur FC - and hospitality at Swansea v Spurs on 31 December;
* Hospitality for six on Coral Welsh National day at Chepstow Racecourse.

There are also many more items that are prizes in a huge raffle.

The fund-raising initiative is from a racecourse that was developed by Welsh businessman Dai Walters, whose father was a coal miner.

The racecourse has already raised £25,000 through donations ahead of the two days.  With the auction and raffle items, plus a percentage of admission money, the racecourse hopes to build greatly on that initial figure.

Dai Walters said: "Ffos Las is at the heart of the communities of south west Wales which have been so affected by the terrible mining tragedy, so we are determined to do our utmost to help the families of the miners.

"I am sure that our visitors and supporters will be most generous as we do what we can to ease the blow to those who lost loved ones.

"We have been overwhelmed by the pledges and raffle prizes from those who have donated and we send our sincerest thanks to them for their generosity."

There is post-racing entertainment at the racecourse on Sunday 6 November, with a performance from the Three Welsh Tenors - Rhys Meirion, Aled Hall and Alun Rhys-Jenkins - and by singer Shan Cothi.

Friday 4 November is the finale to the 2011 Flat racing season at Ffos Las, while it is a jump racing day on Sunday 6 November.  Advance admission costs £16, while on-the-day admission is £18.  Accompanied under 16s are admitted free of charge.

Special offer: £22 - admission, carvery roll or vegetarian option, racecard and pint of beer/lager/cider or glass of wine.  For £2 more (£24), a Bet Boosted Booklet is added.

The first race time on both days is 1pm.

More information is available at http://www.ffoslasracecourse.com/ where tickets can be bought.

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For further information, please contact:
Tim Long, General Manager and Clerk of the Course, at Ffos Las Racecourse, on 01554 811092