Halifax resident wins £20,000 as Yorkshire Ebor Community Hero

Ahead of the 2021 Welcome to Yorkshire Ebor Festival, York Racecourse and Welcome to Yorkshire gave people in the region the chance to nominate their community heroes and give them a chance to win £5,000 for themselves and £15,000 towards their chosen charity.

John Hendrick from Halifax was nominated for his efforts working in a secondary school all the way through the pandemic. At the beginning, he made 2,000 face visors with a couple of colleagues which were in very short supply nationally. These were distributed to local hospitals, care homes, GP practices & the Yorkshire Ambulance service. He also helped the vulnerable by doing their shopping, which he is still doing now.

John and each of the 22 deserving community heroes were randomly drawn runner in the Sky Bet Ebor Handicap race on Saturday, August 21, with John drawing one of the favourites Sonnyboyliston. Sonnyboyliston went on to win the race, meaning John will take home £5,000 cash for himself and £15,000 for his chosen charity, which he is splitting between the Yorkshire Children’s Trust and the Orangutan Foundation.

Across Yorkshire, and further afield, people have endured difficult times recently and many people within the community have stepped up and helped make their friends, neighbours or family’s lives a little easier. Yorkshire, a famously friendly region, has seen countless examples of people and communities working together to help make the best of a bad situation. This great work, selfless dedication and community spirit can often go unsung so now is the perfect opportunity to take a moment to thank and celebrate Yorkshire’s heroes.

The majority of the nominated heroes, plus a guest, cheered on their assigned runner in the race on Saturday 21st August, the final day of the Welcome to Yorkshire Ebor Festival, enjoying a well-deserved day out at one of the country’s most prestigious sporting venues.

John Hendrick, Ebor Community Hero, said: “It was an honour just to be nominated and another lovely surprise to be selected, but for Sonnyboyliston to win the race (after a brilliant ride from Ben Coen) has left me speechless. All the very best to all the other nominees for the future, and many thanks to the Welcome to Yorkshire and York Racecourse organisers.

“Last but certainly not least, I feel very privileged to be able to help out two charities, Yorkshire Children’s Trust in Halifax and the Orangutan Foundation, and hope the donations help a little.”

James Brennan, Head of Marketing at York Racecourse said: “The Welcome to Yorkshire Ebor Festival is such a special event and the perfect opportunity to celebrate community heroes. John is a fine example of a community hero.”