On 24 June Women in Racing were joined by safeguarding expert Annabel Timmins for a 1 hour webinar titled “Safe To Say: Turning Concerns into Conversations”, supported by the British Horseracing Authority.

The webinar aimed to help attendees start the conversation in identifying concerning behaviours and navigating the different ways in which people respond. We explored the spectrum of what constitutes concerning behaviour, the barriers that prevent some people from speaking up, common trauma responses, and busted some myths such as “If it was serious, she would have said something at the time” and “False allegations are the main risk an organisation has to manage.”

We were also joined by Helen Brooke, Safeguarding and Human Welfare Manager at BHA, to explain the RaceWISE reporting system for anyone who wished to raise an anonymous concern.

After the webinar Annabel said: “It was incredibly encouraging to be invited to deliver this webinar, and the level of attendance and engagement showed there is a real appetite to have these conversations. When people are willing to talk openly about inappropriate behaviour and how to challenge it, we take an important step towards creating a safer, more respectful racing industry for women.”

Women in Racing Chair, Cheryl Caves, said: “Our sincere thanks to Annabel for delivering on this important topic, and to the BHA for supporting us in hosting it.  Everyone has a role to play in creating safer environments, and this webinar is one part of building momentum towards that goal.  We hope that starting the conversation in this way has both increased awareness and empowered people to keep talking.  We have been really pleased by the feedback so far, and it was truly encouraging to see so many people come together to attend.”

A recording of the webinar is available to WiR members via the Members Area of this website.

You can follow Annabel on LinkedIn here.

Find out more about RaceWISE