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Pictured Above: Sebastian (R) and his Friend Matthew at the Races

Ascot Racecourse has dedicated a race at its Christmas meeting this weekend to Sebastian's Action Trust ’s founder Sebastian Gates.

The Sebastian’s Action Trust Graduation Steeple Chase (Class 2) will take place at 1.15pm on Saturday, December 22nd, in front of thousands of racegoers at the world famous Berkshire racecourse.

The two-mile race is part of Ascot’s two-day Christmas meeting, which as well as top-class jump races to end the season, includes a Santa parade, funfair, carol singing concert and family fun day.

Staff from Ascot Racecourse recently spent the day at The Woodlands, the Trust’s facility in Crowthorne, Berkshire, helping staff with various jobs that need doing around the site to make it a warm and welcoming space for seriously-ill children and their families.

Staff laid gravel for a path outside one of The Woodlands new features-Ruby’s Den-making it suitable for disabled access. They also put up Christmas lights outside Ash House, The Woodland’s main building, ready for the official Christmas light switch-on which took place last weekend.

Jane Gates OBE, CEO of Sebastian’s Action Trust, said: “I was incredibly overwhelmed when Ascot Racecourse contacted me to tell me they were going to have a race in Sebastian’s name, it really was an unbelievable moment.

“This would have meant so much to Sebastian. Sebastian had enjoyed several days of Ascot racing before he died and as an Ascot boy, we are absolutely thrilled the charity that is his legacy has been recognised in such an incredibly thoughtful manner.

“This weekend’s race meeting is just before the 15th anniversary of Sebastian’s death and is such a poignant way to remember a little boy whose positivity shines through in the actions of his charity.”

Jane Gates and her husband Mike, will proudly present a trophy to the winner of The Sebastian’s Action Trust Graduation Steeple Chase in the parade ring after the race, and will also judge the Best Turned Out Horse.

At the age of just 7, Sebastian was diagnosed with a Wilms’ tumour – a rare form of childhood cancer. Despite two years of operations and treatment, Sebastian sadly passed away on Christmas Eve 2003.

In the month before he died, he launched a fundraising drive to establish a holiday home that would provide somewhere exclusively for families to spend precious time together, and away from the rigours of treatment and hospital life.

From one little boy’s last wish, over 15 years, great things have come.

Sebastian’s Action Trust now supports more than 500 families of seriously-ill children from Berkshire, Surrey, Buckinghamshire, Oxfordshire and Hampshire. As well as offering families respite holidays at The Bluebells – our facility in the Hampshire countryside – the Trust has developed outreach and specialist services which help families in their home, in hospital or in the local community, trying to make life a little bit easier while looking after a seriously-ill child and their siblings.

The Trust also now has an additional site – The Woodlands - which consists of three buildings, set in beautiful grounds, offering families a similar home from home experience to The Bluebells.

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