Exclusive: Duke Estate is ‘strong
We’re strong but vulnerable,’ the Duke of Richmond admitted this week as he spoke about the massive impact of the coronavirus lockdown on the Goodwood Estate and its worldrenowned events.
But with his usual optimism he told the Observer that even though it was increasingly unlikely, he hasn’t completely ruled out the Festival of Speed and Revival still taking place in some form or another much later in the year and is pleased that the racecourse will be one of the first in the country to re-open behind closed doors in a couple of days’ time.
There are no guarantees though – and the outlook remains tough.
While the traditional estate activities such as organic farming and the sale of produce through its award-winning farm shop have seen growth, the big crowd-pulling events, which effectively support and subsidise the whole estate, have been brought to a standstill.
Two-thirds of the estate’s 750 full-time employees have been furloughed under the Government scheme and pioneering initiatives like Goodwoof – a celebration of our four-legged friends – sadly never made it to fruition because of the impact of the pandemic, even though the initial interest from everyone was huge.
“That was a big disappointment. We were very excited about it but we couldn’t possibly have gone ahead with it.
“Like the
Members’
Meeting, which was all built and we literally had to pull it down.
“To not have any major events at Goodwood is like cutting off our oxygen. They mean so much to us – they are the life-blood of the estate. There is nothing we would love more than to be able to hold our events in some form or another.
“The situation is changing all the time so we are trying to be as open-minded to all outcomes and opportunities as we can.”
And horseracing is back in three days, albeit behind closed doors: “We’re very keen to get things moving again. It’s vital for the economy – the longer everything is shut down the harder it’s going to be to get back to normal.
The Duke was delighted when the golf course reopened. “It was like a Rolling Stones concert – we sold all our tee times in something like 30 seconds!”
Likewise, the motor circuit has been buzzing again with track days for those bringing their own cars, as well as cyclists who can now enjoy the track cycling sessions.
“All capital expenditure, like the transformation of the hotel, has been put on hold and it is likely to take several years to get these projects back on track”, the Duke said.
“This is serious for