On 29 January, students from Altwood School, Churchmead School, Herschel Grammar School, Theale Green School, Eden Girls’ School, Baylis Court Girls’ School and Garth Hill College attended the final of the Ascot Racecourse Supports Community Challenge at Ascot Racecourse. Now in its second year, the programme has gone from strength to strength.
Built on the success of Ascot Racecourse Supports, the Ascot Racecourse Community Challenge was designed to engage students in volunteering and giving back to their local communities. After receiving a seed fund of £50, each school selected a team of six students to represent them.
The teams then researched and partnered with a local charity, developing and delivering a programme focused on making a real difference to the lives of others.
All teams were invited to Ascot Racecourse to present their journey to a panel of judges and explain why they should be crowned Ascot Racecourse Supports Community Challenge Champions 2025/26. The presentations were exceptional, with the students’ passion for their chosen charities shining through and leaving a strong impression on the judges.
While the judges deliberated, students had the opportunity to hear directly from the charities involved, including SHOC (Slough Homeless Our Concern), Baby Bank and Slough Cross Roads, Slough Refugee Centre, DASH, Duchenne UK, and Launchpad, gaining further insight into the impact of their work within the community.
Given the high standard of entries and the closeness of the judging, an additional award category was introduced this year: the High Sheriff’s Award. The Ascot Racecourse Supports Community Challenge Winner 2026 was Herschel Grammar School for their work with SHOC (Slough Homeless Our Concern), while the High Sheriff’s Award was presented to Churchmead School for their work with Slough Cross Roads. Both charities received £1,000 to support their continued efforts in making a positive difference within their communities.
All finalist teams were highly commended for embracing the challenge and supporting such worthy causes. In addition to words of encouragement and thanks from the judges, the Berkshire Community Foundation contributed further support by awarding an additional £250 to each of the other five charities represented in the challenge.
To date, more than £10,500 has been raised, with fundraising still ongoing. The efforts of all those involved have been outstanding and have already made a significant and lasting difference to the lives of others.
Be part of something great.
If you would like to know more about how you can support local causes and change lives for the better in Berkshire, please get in touch.
