Children’s Charity, WellChild, Named Cheltenham Gold Cup Sponsor

The Jockey Club has confirmed that this year’s Cheltenham Gold Cup will be sponsored by WellChild - a national charity for seriously ill children. The 2021 race will be officially be known as the WellChild Cheltenham Gold Cup after the Cheltenham-based charity replaced former sponsor, Magners.

Magners had agreed a three-year sponsorship agreement between 2019 and 2021 but that deal was cut short due to the impact of the coronavirus on not only Magners but the hospitality sector as a whole.

The Jockey Club's regional managing director for Cheltenham, Ian Renton, said:

"WellChild plays a vital role in our society supporting seriously ill children and young people, and those who care for them. Their services have been needed more than ever during the pandemic and we are very proud indeed to help such an important charity amongst our communities, including in Cheltenham.” 

He added:

"I'd like to thank Magners for their support in 2019-20 and express our gratitude to our various and valued partners who have retained their involvement with The Festival in 2021. The Magners brand will no longer be promoted at The Festival which has made today’s announcement possible.” 

"We're now excited to support WellChild at the Festival and hope this is an important cause the whole racing industry can get behind.” 

The new sponsorship deal has received the backing of Ed Chamberlin. The ITV Racing presenter has been a WellChild brand ambassador since his own battles with stomach cancer almost a decade ago. He made the decision to support the charity following his own experiences in hospital when battling stomach cancer. 

Chamberlin explained:

"When I was being treated in Southampton Hospital the children’s cancer ward was next door and broke my heart. If I recovered, I vowed to support a charity that got children treated at home, rather than a hospital ward. 

"The work WellChild do from their headquarters in Cheltenham with seriously ill children is truly remarkable. They, like all charities, have had a brutal year and I’m so thrilled about this partnership. It combines two of the passions in my life: WellChild and the Cheltenham Festival.”