Let’s campaign to make Cheltenham Gold Cup Day a Bank Holiday. N. Brien has submitted a petition to the Prime Minister’s website and I’ve set up a Facebook group so let’s see what support we can get. After all, it worked for Rage Against the Machine. Here are five great reasons for making Gold Cup Day a Bank Holiday:
1) British workers have the fewest public holidays in Europe, compared to 11 in France, 12 in Italy and between nine and 12 in Germany.
2) It works for the Melbourne Cup in Australia – the race that stops a nation.
3) More people will have the opportunity to get involved in this unique and special sporting event without necessarily attending.
4) The temporary staff hired for the Friday would earn double-pay which would flow back into the local economy.
5) Local people who don’t like racing can go away for a long weekend and free up the town for Gold Cup day and night celebrations
Edward Gillespie, Cheltenham Racecourse supremo said, “I suspect the idea comes from Australia and the Melbourne Cup. I believe that is a public holiday and everyone in the country watches the race. In fact I can’t think of a better way to spend a Friday in March than having a day off to watch the Gold Cup, well done to whoever has come up with this petition.”
Christine Tustin, tourism manager at Cheltenham Borough Council, said: “Gold Cup Day is such a different day in Cheltenham anyway and affects everything in town so we might as well have a holiday. It would also be amazing for one of the county’s public holidays to have Cheltenham in the name.”
Join the Facebook campaign group
Sign the petition for the Prime Minister
