THE results are in from the Royal Ascot Charity Day at Chepstow Racecourse and this year the June event raised a remarkable £72,000 for the Noah’s Ark Charity.

It’s been a busy few weeks at the racecourse, with last Friday’s Ladies Night also attracting a bumper crowd, topped off by a storming performance from Paloma Faith.

In the midst of economic problems and rising costs, the £72,000 raised from the June 16 Ladies fundraising day is an eye-catching achievement.

The event was held during Royal Ascot week and featured a three-course luncheon at The View restaurant, live multi-screen TV coverage from Ascot, a raffle and auction as well as the annual ladies’ hat competition.

This year, the money raised will go towards the Noah’s Ark Charity’s Jungle Ward Appeal, which is raising funds for children with complex medical conditions at the Noah’s Ark Children’s Hospital for Wales in Cardiff.

The aim is to raise a total of £1m for affected children, including those with brain injuries and children in mental health crisis, who have previously had to travel further afield for specialist treatment.

The tens of thousands of pounds raised on the day at Chepstow will go towards transforming Jungle Ward into a bright, stimulating environment for children and their families.

Chepstow Plant International have been organising the Royal Ascot Charity day at their home-town racecourse since 2002, raising nearly £600,000 in total.

Trustee and Noah’s Ark Children’s Hospital Charity vice-chair Julie Hayward says: “The Noah’s Ark Charity exists to ensure brighter todays and better tomorrows for the 73,000 children who receive care at the Noah’s Ark Children’s Hospital for Wales each year.

“We make sure that treatment and outcomes for young patients continue to improve by funding new and innovative medical equipment and facilities.

“We support children and their families in the here and now through our emotional support service and the much-loved play specialist service and make the hospital a less frightening place for children by sprinkling some fun into their hospital days.

“There is a long-standing relationship with Chepstow racecourse and the charity.

“We have had charity days at race meetings with a standout highlight being the Welsh Grand National when children, who had been patients in the hospital, were able to come to the races and take part in the parade before the big race and join in with the singing of the Welsh national anthem.

“We have also had some family days for the children and their families. We have also arranged many bucket collections at race meetings to raise money for the Noah’s Ark Charity.

In recent weeks, Chepstow Racecourse has held events to raise money for the victims of the war in Ukraine, for Brain Tumour Research, for Llamau, the charity that works to alleviate homelessness across Wales, and is looking ahead towards Chepstow Military Raceday later this year.

Chepstow executive director Phil Bell says: “There is a very strong relationship between racing and charitable fund-raising and that is particularly evident here at Chepstow.”

Meanwhile racegoers dressed to impress at Friday July 8’s Ladies night, with Only Love Can Hurt Like This singer Paloma wowing the crowd with past hits and songs from her acclaimed new album Infinite Things.

Stylish outfits and beautiful headwear were the order of the day, with a £500 cash prize handed out for the winning outfit.