The Cheltenham Races are hugely important for the town and it is not just the racecourse itself that benefits from the high profile event.
The local economy in the area sees a huge investment in all of it’s areas, but no more than it does in its hospitality industry.
This is hardly surprising when you consider that there is around £6.12 million in prize money being competed for.
The festival is estimated to be worth more than £100 million to the local Gloucestershire area with around 65,000 people on average attending each day, most of whom then spend in the town’s local restaurants and bars.
With 226 registered bars and pubs in the area, pub landlords see a huge fluctuation of customers into their premises during race week.
@nathanjohn2001 Cheltenham is certainly the booze town of Britain!🍻🐎🇬🇧#cheltenham #booze #uk #britain #cheers #cheltenham #bar #beer ♬ Beer – Reel Big Fish
Just a mile or so from the racecourse itself, nestled away in the residential area of Wadsworth is The Bayshill Inn.
Speaking to landlady Lisa Barnes, she explains how the races impact her pub and in particular her orders for the week.
“On average my beer order is £6,000 a week, during race week it’s £35,000,” Barnes revealed.
She also mentions the impact of race week on the local community and the absence that was felt with fans not being able to attend last year’s event, due to Covid-19 restrictions in England.
“It’s very important as it puts the cash flow back in and is a big profit maker but at the same time with everything that went on last year I think it was best that fans didn’t attend,” Barnes added.
As expected, Friday, which is Gold Cup day, is by far the busiest day of the week and as we make the steep trip down to the cellar beneath the pub, Lisa laughs as she explains: “Usually we have around two barrels per product, however this week we’ll go through at least 16 barrels of Guinness”.
It looks set to be a profitable race year for Cheltenham’s local clubs, pubs and bars with the return of fans.
