Meet 8-year-old Jake!

He loves swimming, dancing and hanging out with his big brother Harry. Jake just loves to feel involved in life and never wants to miss out on anything.

Jake is diagnosed with Down’s syndrome, a condition where you are born with an extra chromosome. He has to work hard on developing his speech as communication is something he finds particularly difficult.

Jake’s dad David nominated him after a friend contacted their family about the Trust. David told us they used to attend Ascot together as a family before the pandemic. Sadly, Jake’s mum had a stroke and cardiac arrest in 2020, which has made enjoying days out together as a family something they find incredibly difficult. Due to the generosity of Ascot Racecourse, we were able to invite Jake’s mum along to enjoy his VIP Day out with him.

Jake’s VIP Experience

On 18th February 2023, Jake attended Ascot Racecourse with his mum Claire, dad David and brother Harry.

The family received a Bowler Hat Tour of the grounds, where they learnt all about the history of the racecourse. They were then treated to both lunch and afternoon tea in the luxury of an executive box, where Jake got to indulge in some of his favourite things – chips and cake! The box provided them with an incredible view of the racing, whereby Jake and his brother were able to cheer on their favourite horses.

After lunch, they were invited down to the parade ring to choose the best turned-out horse for the ‘Ascot Supports Box4Kids Handicap Hurdle Race’. Here, Jake met some of the jockeys, and was even gifted a signed jockey cap.

‘Thank you very much for a wonderful day out, my family really enjoyed the day’, said dad David. ‘It was such an amazing experience, which we would never have been able to afford or do’.

Whenever Jake is shown photos of his big day out, he simply says ‘Awesome’.

It is thanks to box donors like Ascot that we can help create such special memories for deserving children and their families, like Jake’s. Not only does being in an executive box provide children with a VIP experience, but it is also a safe and secure environment for children unable to watch events from standard seating. If you have an executive box and would like to donate it to our Box4Kids initiative, please do get in touch.