Ten PPORA Fixture Grants for 2026/2027 Season Awarded

The PPORA is delighted to announce that a full complement of ten fixtures have been awarded a grant for the forthcoming point-to-point season. The small grant system was created to support specific meetings who would benefit from additional funding. Fixtures are invited to apply over the summer, stating why they believe they merit PPORA support and how they would use the funds if successful.

After careful consideration by the PPORA Committee, and having also been reviewed and verified by the Point-to-Point Authority and the Point-to-Point Secretaries’ Association, the following ten fixtures will each be receiving funding of £1,000 from the small grant system.

Action from the Berwickshire meeting at Friars Haugh (Grace Beresford) 

Meeting	Course	Area	Date
Hursley Hambledon	Larkhill	Wessex	Sun 29 Nov
West Mercian Races	Chaddesley Corbett	West Mercian	Sun 6 Dec
Larkhill Racing Club	Larkhill	Wessex	Sun 3 Jan
Jedforest	Friars Haugh	Northern	Sat 16 Jan
Revesby Park Races	Revesby Park	Midlands	Sat 16 Jan
Tiverton	Chipley Park	Devon & Cornwall	Sun 24 Jan
South Dorset	Milborne St Andrew	Wessex	Sun 31 Jan
Berwickshire	Friars Haugh	Northern	Sun 7 Feb
West & North Norfolk	Fakenham	East Anglia	Sun 7 Feb
Morpeth	Tranwell	Northern	Sat 27 Mar

The ten fixtures include some who applied successfully in 2025/2026, others who have received a grant in previous seasons, and several first time applications. Among the latter is the Larkhill Racing Club at Larkhill, which has been abandoned in both the last two seasons.

Highstakesplayer and Ivor Herbert win a PPORA race at Larkhill (Tim Holt)

 Larkhill Racing Club Fixture Secretary (and former CEO of the Point-to-Point Authority) Peter Wright explained, “We applied for the grant to bolster the finances of our fixture. While we might have been able to cope losing one year, losing two has put us in a precarious position and used up our reserves.”

“This fixture is important for the national calendar in setting up the start of the year and has often been used by prospective Foxhunters horses. It offers a good juxtaposition to Chaddesley Corbett (after Christmas), where the going is often soft, so we attract a different type of horse.”

Asked about how the LRC intends to use the grant, Wright confirmed, “Partly towards supporting owners and trainers – there will be hot drinks and soup for everyone who runs a horse, and the fixture comes at a good time of year for such an initiative – and partly to cover the costs of running the fixture.”

The meeting hosts three PPORA-supported races, and Wright laughed, “”We’d have liked to have four, as the Jockey Club Hands & Heels Novice Riders race is a natural fit for the PPORA! We’re happy to support the organisation by staging their races and the £200 grant allows us to increase prize money."

Peter Wright (left) with his Overton winner Helm Bar (Northern Area Point-to-Point)

The PPORA is excited to see how each fixture invests their grant and supports owners, riders and all participants.

The criteria for PPORA fixture grants are mainly based on financial considerations, including the inability to race in one or more recent seasons, and the lack of revenue if racing did take place.

To qualify for a PPORA fixture grant, a fixture should host at least one PPORA race, provide owners with a minimum of six passes for their entries in the race(s) and commit to investing the grant money in a measurable way to sustain or grow the meeting.