Academy to join British Racing School

The Academy was established in 2021 with funding from the Racing Foundation to support young people from diverse ethnic communities and disadvantaged communities into British racing. As a discrete diversity project within the BRS, the Academy will continue to support these groups though its transformational riding-based programmes which include Taster Days, Residential Weeks and a year-long Scholarship.

Khadijah Mellah co-founder of the Academy said, “We are very grateful to the British Racing School who have delivered all of our programmes through their world-class team of instructors. Together, we have introduced hundreds of young people from underrepresented communities into racing, with many now working in the sport. By working even more closely, I am excited about the scope we will have to introduce even more young people to this amazing sport.”

Naomi Lawson, co-founder and director of the Academy said, “We are incredibly excited to be formally joining The British Racing School which has been absolutely instrumental in the success of the Academy. The partnership marks an exciting new chapter for the Academy, offering unparalleled opportunities to grow the numbers of young people we work with from underrepresented communities, whilst continuing to support racing in becoming more diverse and inclusive."

Andrew Braithwaite, Chief Executive of the British Racing School said, “We’re very proud of the work we have done with the Riding A Dream Academy and the impact it has had in getting more young people into the sport. Bringing the Academy in house reflects our shared commitment to making racing more accessible to all communities. This partnership allows us to combine our resources and expertise, and ensure that young people, regardless of their background or ethnicity are able to go on and thrive within racing through our world-leading courses.”