TWELVE amateur riders due to race in front of crowds at York Racecourse have already raised over £60,000 for charity. KATE LIPTROT reports on their training day with champion jockey Kevin Darley.

TWELVE amateur riders due to race in front of crowds at York Racecourse have already raised over £60,000 for charity. Kate Liptrot reports on their training day with champion jockey Kevin Darley.

GROWING up near York Racecourse, Leanne Humphries always dreamed of riding in one of its races.

At 42, her dream is about to become a reality as she takes on 11 other riders in the Macmillan Charity Race next month.

The mum-of-two will compete in a nine furlong race around the course.

She said: “I’m raising money for Macmillan as my sister, Paula, died of ovarian cancer at the age of 33 and Macmillan nurses cared for my Nan. It has been a lifelong dream to ride a race and especially at York.

"Living only minutes away from the course in Dringhouses, the Knavesmire has been a big part of my life growing up.”

The course has happy memories for Leanne as she spent her wedding day there watching racing shortly after tying the knot with husband Shaun at York Register Office.

Last week Leanne met with the other riders and former champion jockey Kevin Darley who walked the riders round the course, helped check equipment and passed on his expert advice.

The majority of the riders - who have already raised over £60,000 for Macmillan - are from Yorkshire, but others are from as far away as Dorset and Wiltshire.

Fundraising events organised by the riders so far have included charity dinners, collections, horse shows, a race night, cake sales and a golf tournament.

Other local riders include Emily Easterby, 19, from near Malton, Jonathan Gill, 61, from Allerston, near Pickering, Max Pimlott, 23, from Scrayingham, near York, Sara Fleck, 27, from Masham, Sarah Huntridge, 35, from Markington and Susan Mason, 53, from Kirby Grindalythe, near Malton.

Hayley Cooke, special events manager at Macmillan Cancer Support, said: “I take my hat off to these amateur riders because not only are they training hard to take part in the race, they’re also taking on the challenge of fundraising. To raise more than £60,000 so far for Macmillan is an amazing achievement.

"With a few weeks to go; there’s still time to sponsor the riders online. Money raised makes such a difference as donations help fund Macmillan services, which are they to help make sure no one faces cancer alone.”

Macmillan Charity Raceday is a fundraising collaboration between York Racecourse and Macmillan Cancer Support. The event has been held annually since 1971, raising more than £6.2 million in total for Macmillan and other charitable causes.

The Macmillan Charity Race takes place at York Racecourse on Saturday, June 13.

To buy tickets for Macmillan Charity Raceday, visit www.yorkracecourse.co.uk - where you can also find a page dedicated to the charity riders and their fundraising justgiving pages.