Cheltenham businesses keeping fingers crossed in face of coronavirus threat

Local businesses in Cheltenham are keeping everything crossed next week's festival takes place as planned, as the town gets ready for its biggest week of the year amid fears of coronavirus spreading through Britain.

Financially, the Cheltenham Festival is estimated to be worth more than £100 million to the local economy, with a total of 266,779 people attending the four-day meeting last year.

Hotels, restaurants and pubs are among the businesses to receive a huge boost in trade during the festival, and The Royal Oak in Prestbury is no exception.

The closest pub to the racecourse, The Royal Oak is within walking distance of the track and manager Tom Wright is gearing up for a hectic week.

He said on Thursday: "We've had barely any cancellations and bookings are largely the same. Marquees are going up and stock's coming in, it's go, go, go. Everyone's still quite happy to get involved. We'll hit 300 to 400 breakfasts each morning and are still planning on going full steam ahead.

"If it didn't go ahead we'd have to cancel and shell out for a lot of things, but the Guinness isn't going off anytime soon!"

Operating on a smaller scale in Cheltenham town centre is restaurant Lumiere. Helen Howe, who runs the establishment with husband Jon, is also hoping for business as normal.

She said: "All of our bookings next week are racegoers, so if they did call it off it would be a bit of disaster. We have so many customers who come annually. They'll book their table pretty much as they're leaving for the following year.

"We're quite lucky because we're so small, we only have eight tables. But some places in town are so reliant on the festival for their businesses to be profitable. Fingers crossed it will all be fine."

It is not just local businesses who would be hit hard, with bookmakers also set for huge days of trading on and off course.

Independent David Brewer, who will be trading as Fair-Bet Bookmakers in Tattersalls next week, is philosophical about the situation. "Given what the festival means to the sport, not just financially but the spectacle and the fantastic racing it provides, it would be a great loss [if it was cancelled]," he said.

"If the powers that be saw fit to restrict large gatherings to keep us safe, you'd have to take it on the chin. The health of all of us is more important than any amount of money."

The packed betting ring at last year's Cheltenham FestivalCredit: Edward Whitaker

Following Cheltenham, the next big event is Aintree's Grand National meeting on April 2-4.

Like Cheltenham, the loss of such a flagship fixture would be felt keenly by local businesses, although bookings at the Stables Inn hotel, which is located on site at the course, are still buoyant.

A spokesperson for the hotel said: "We've had a few people ring up and cancel as they're concerned about what could happen. But we've got such a long waiting list for the Grand National meeting that we've got people taking any rooms that are cancelled. We're a bit in limbo but unless we hear otherwise we'll be going ahead as normal."

Read more on racing and the coronavirus:

Cheltenham issues coronavirus health advice for festival racegoers

Coronavirus and racing: will the Cheltenham Festival be affected?

Japanese meetings to be staged behind closed doors as coronavirus fears grow

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