YORK Racecourse has signed up to a scheme to give free tickets to all of Britain’s serving soldiers, sailors and airmen and women.

The Tickets For Troops initiative is designed to recognise the extraordinary work and sacrifice of our Armed Forces and offers servicemen and women a number of free tickets for days at the races.

Most racecourses, including all nine in Yorkshire, have signed up to the Tickets For Troops scheme with top days like the Ebor Festival included.

James Brennan, marketing manager for York Racecourse, said they were delighted to be part of the scheme and it was a natural extension of the work they already do with the Army.

He said: “We’re delighted to have long-standing partnerships with the Yorkshire Regiment and the Coldstream Guards and to have celebrated Yorkshire’s finest at the John Smith’s Cup along with a mayoral service for Delta platoon of the Yorkshire Regiment who had returned from active service in Afghanistan. This worthwhile scheme was a natural extension to that ongoing support.”

In addition to any other provision, the eight Yorkshire flat courses are offering free tickets for troops at the third Yorkshire Racing Summer Festival, from Saturday July 17 to 25. And jumping course Wetherby is chipping in with its fixture on June 3.

Simon Channon, chairman of Go Racing in Yorkshire, said: “Our Summer Festival is the ideal vehicle to offer county-wide support for this worthwhile initiative. With a significant number of service bases in Yorkshire, such as Catterick and York Garrisons and RAF Leeming and Linton-on-Ouse, I’m sure we’ll get an excellent response.”

Tickets For Troops is a new and independent not-for-profit organisation. The sole aim of the initiative is to secure the donation of tickets to major sporting and cultural events across the country from the organisers, and to make them available through a dedicated website to all serving members of HM Forces and all those medically discharged from the Forces since the start of military action in Afghanistan in 2001.

Applicants simply register at www.ticketsfortroops.org.uk and can then choose to make their booking from one of thousands of available events. For each booking a donation of just £1 is requested, with all proceeds being donated across various service charities.