Tim Bonner: Racecourse saved from closure

Many of you will have spent a day at Larkhill racecourse on the edge of Salisbury Plain which is one of the busiest point-to-point tracks in the country so you will be relieved to hear that we will continue to be able to enjoy racing at the track as Defence Secretary Ben Wallace has stepped in to reverse a decision to close the course.

Not many racecourses have a live firing range as a backdrop and racing at Larkhill has worked around the requirements of military training for 75 years. A report commissioned by the Ministry of Defence (MOD) in 2019 concluded that racing and training could continue to co-exist, but earlier this year MOD officials told the racecourse committee that its lease would not be renewed at the end of 2023. Neither the committee or local people, who had not even been consulted on the closure, were going to take that decision lying down, however, and a vigorous 'Save Larkhill Racecourse' campaign was launched with the full support of the Countryside Alliance. Everyone involved (including many retired army officers) is more than aware of the vital importance of military training - not least in light of the current situation in Ukraine - but are clear that racing at Larkhill need be no barrier to any exercises the army needs to carry out.

Thankfully, when a journalist briefed by the Alliance took the story to the MoD, news of the decision reached Ministers for the first time and Defence Secretary Ben Wallace immediately directed officials to renew the racecourse lease. Given everything on his desk at the moment, this is not a decision he should have to have been involved in, but I know that there will be huge gratitude in Wiltshire and far beyond. As an MoD source said, the Secretary of State "recognises that as custodian of the largest land holdings in the UK, the MOD has a duty to not only use the land to ensure our forces are best prepared but also that the local communities who have farmed or used the lands for centuries are supported".

Coincidently, the Alliance will be at another racecourse tomorrow, in fact, at the home of National Hunt racing - Cheltenham - for Countryside Day. We are very lucky to have generous support from the racecourse and will be raising funds to support our campaigns and Cotswold Riding for the Disabled tomorrow. I know that thousands of you will be joining us and we look forward to seeing you.

We would love to see you at our exclusive Countryside Alliance Members' Area situated in Marquee 4 (near the Shopping Village) where you can get refreshments. Trainer Lawney Hill will also be going through the card and offering her tips at 12pm, and don't miss the wonderful parade of hounds between the second and third races.

For those who cannot be at Cheltenham tomorrow, you can still support the day by bidding for a range of fantastic lots in the online auction which closes at 4pm on Friday, 11 November.

Image credit: Tracy Kidd