HEREFORD Racecourse clerk of the course writes for the HT.

Well, the historical reopening of Hereford Racecourse has now passed and we were thrilled with the 4,501 racegoers that supported us on October 6.

Thank you to each and every one of you.

Whilst inevitably an opening crowd of that size posed us some challenges behind the scenes, the overwhelming feedback we have received is that people were genuinely pleased to be racing back at Hereford.

The challenge for the team and myself now is to build on the success of our reopening fixture.

It is unlikely that we will see crowds of that level again too often, however we have ambitious plans for the racecourse to put it back on the map for good, and with continued support from the local community I firmly believe we can do this.

We again on Monday and, as a small gesture of our appreciation to the Herefordshire residents that have been supportive of our reopening, we are offering a two-for-one ticket promotion in advance for anyone with an HR postcode.

It has been very well received and we hope those racing will enjoy their day, be it the first time they come racing or whether they are seasoned racegoers.

Meeting other local businesses is important to me, so that we can establish relationships and work with them to help deliver a prosperous city where we can play our part.

Hereford FC and The Courtyard are just two such organisations I have met with, and I look forward to some exciting joint initiatives with both.

Also on Monday at the racecourse, we will host our inaugural Business Networking Brunch.

Supported by Cotswold Corporate, I am looking forward to hearing Steve Liddle, head of business for Cotswold MINI Hereford, and Will Chase, founder of Chase Vodka, speaking – two fine examples of leading businessmen in Herefordshire that share my passion for business within this great county.

We hope to see many other local businesses there sharing their success stories.