The Racecourse Centre is located within a few minutes drive from the centre of York, in one of the most desirable and quiet parts of the city, overlooking the historical Knavesmire and the Racecourse. The modern buildings provide quality budget accommodation for discerning student adult groups. The Centre has been awarded the English Tourism Council 4 Star Hostel rating. There is plenty of space for coaches and cars to manoeuvre and park in the grounds free of charge and coaches are welcome to return to the Centre to park during the day having dropped off their passengers elsewhere. There is a large lounge (13.5 by 11 metres) on the first floor of the main building suitable for receptions, meetings or leisure. The modern two-storey building is fully centrally heated and contains 21 twin bedded rooms, each with a washbasin and toilet en suite. The rooms can be easily converted into four bedded rooms by unfolding the two bunk beds from the wall. Separate shower facilities are available for every five rooms. The single storey annexe contains single and twin rooms, together with two large family rooms. Each room has central heating and a washbasin. The building has separate toilet and shower facilities. The spacious dining room can seat up to 100 people. Cafeteria style catering is provided, however a full table service can be provided by arrangement at a small supplement. Our experienced staff will be happy to provide special diets on request. A very large sports field adjoins the complex and an indoor swimming pool and sports centre are located within easy walking distance of the Centre. The Racecourse Centre is open to groups all year round, except when it is being used by racing staff attending York Race Meetings. As usual, the staff and facilities were excellent. Your attention to detail and high standards of care to customer service are much appreciated. The Albino Fellowship

Ever since The Racecourse Centre was rebuilt in 1992 with a light and spacious 150m conference room*, we have successfully accommodated many different kinds of meetings and receptions for both leisure and business. If you are looking for a low cost conference without losing high standards of service and attention to detail, the Racecourse Centre is ideal. We can tailor a package to suit your budget. We provide an Over Head Projector, screen flip charts. We also provide a TV, video and DVD players. Excellent ample parking facilities are provided free of charge. Value for money accommodation and full meal service are available if required. York is easily accessible by road and rail. Plenty of local leisure activities available. See. We can provide Buffet Lunches, Dinners and Tea and Coffee breaks in our Dining Room on the ground floor, again, to suit your budget and all special diets are catered for. We can seat up to 60 delegates dependent upon what style of room layout you require on the day. * Apologies, but we do not have a lift.

The Racecourse Centre is a very popular venue for Student Groups and there is always a warm welcome from our helpful staff. York and the surrounding area offers many opportunities for adventure activities such as canoeing, climbing, abseiling, diving, gliding, go karting, ballooning, bowling and paintball. Ghost Tours of the City in the evenings are a must and there is a wealth of choice when it comes to Restaurants, Pubs and Bars. York is home to the National Railway Museum, the Jorvik Viking Centre, the world famous Minster and many other attractions in the city and the surrounding area such as Castle Howard and Eden Camp 2 see Local Attractions. There is a large sports field adjacent to the Centre, also the Edmund Wilson Swimming Pool and there is always our Recreation Room which can be used for lectures and meetings or just relaxing. My colleagues, myself and the students were very impressed with the wonderful facilities that you have at the Centre. We certainly look forward to other visits in future. British Studies Unit, University of Manchester

School Groups are especially welcome at The Racecourse Centre. In fact, since the centre opened in 1976 over 1000 School Parties have chosen to stay at the centre. We even have teachers bringing their schools who remember coming to stay when they themselves were schoolchildren! The photo above shows part of the 2002 Group from Steyning Grammar School who have brought a party every year since 1976. The Headmaster kindly wrote to say: We all thoroughly enjoyed our stay and I felt this was my best trip ever! We are looking to change some of our activities for the future, to keep in line with modern youngsters, but one thing we will not change is our venue.. We like to look after our young guests and our friendly staff are always there to help. We cater for all special diets as well as extra special occasions! York is the ideal centre for Educational Visits with many different museums and visitor attractions for all age groups to choose from. for a comprehensive list and their links. Questionnaires are given to all teachers at the end of their stay: Attitude of StaffExcellent / Good / Adequate / Poor? In a recent survey we are delighted to report that 100% of the responses to the above question were 'Excellent'. Best Centre I have used with a school party. Warm, comfortable. VERY helpful staff. Another excellent stay Thank you. Our Lady St. Phillip Neri School

York must be one of the most sociable cities in England and an ideal place to visit if you really want to enjoy yourself. York has been voted among the top 20 shopping venues in England. The shops are interesting and very varied with major independent stores, permanent and seasonal markets, Thursday late night openings and a huge Designer Outlet. The historical sites are everywhere and all within walking distance of the city centre. If you wish to go further a field there are many wonderful places to visit just a short drive away (See. York is renowned for the many and varied restaurants with lots of al fresco in the summer, and really comes alive at night which is why we are so popular for parties wanting evening entertainment. Subject to numbers groups can have exclusive use of our annexe. Our satisfied guests include; Birthday and Family Groups, Wives on shopping trips, Wedding Guests, Church Groups, Boy Scouts and Girl Guide Groups, Social Groups and Parties on Works nights out in York.

The Racecourse Centre is an ideal place to bring your Orchestra, Choir or Band. Our satisfied customers recently included: the South Carolina Choir, Whalley Range High School Band, the Yorkshire Youth Choir and Milton Keynes City Church Choir. Our conference room has excellent acoustics and is the perfect place for all your rehearsals. York has many fantastic venues for performances. From the majesty of York Minster itself to the University of York, the Tempest Anderson Hall, the Treasurers House, The Barbican Centre, the Merchant Adventures' Hall or St Michael-le-Belfry Church, there are venues to suit all budgets, numbers of participants and audiences. There are also many outstanding outdoor venues including: the Eye of York, the Museum Gardens, Rowntree Park, The Racecourse, the Coppergate Centre and the Tower Gardens, and we can put you in touch with the right people to help with your arrangements.

Why not bring your Sports Group to stay at The Racecourse Centre? We are situated within two minutes walk of Yorks famous Knavesmire where the huge open space is absolutely ideal for sports of all kinds. We are also very close to the Edmund Wilson Swimming Pool. Sports groups who have stayed at the centre include: Darlington RFC Mini Rugby Tour. The Kingswood Running Club. Durham CCC under 17s and 19s Cricket Teams. The Under 16s Girls Rugby Group. We have also had the following types of club stay with us: Charity Cycle Ride Groups. We are always happy to help with suggestions for your Groups activities.

21.04.2008 :: Closure Days. Wednesday 9th to Monday 14th July 2008. Wednesday 23rd to Monday 28th July 2008. Saturday 16th to Sunday 24th August 2008. Alternatively please to be re-directed to the. York Racecourse Website for the list of fixtures etc. 18.02.2008 :: Catering Manager Appointed. The Racecourse Centre is pleased to announce the appointment of a permanent Catering Manager, Mr Brian Mann. Brian has enjoyed preparing meals for the Centres guests since January 2007 whilst on secondment from the catering team based at the racecourse itself and is delighted to join the Centre team on a permanent basis as from 1. Brian has worked at York Racecourse for six years and so has a wealth of experience in preparing all types of menus. Previously Brian developed his skills in the Army Catering Corps serving in the Falkland and Gulf war conflicts amongst many other tours of duty. Brian and his team take a pride in meeting the requests of guests providing a full menu service for vegetarians and other special dietary needs. Please do not hesitate to ask if you have any special dietary needs and Brian will do his best to accommodate you. 04.02.2008 :: New Website Launched. We are pleased to announce that our brand new website is now online, boasting improved navigation, up-to-date information including news, You can find our latest download our current brochure in PDF format by clicking on the links found across the site. 31.01.2007 :: Still Room for 2008

The Racecourse Centre is part of York Racecourse and shares its site with the stables for racing. The modern buildings provide quality budget accommodation for discerning student and adult groups and the Centre has been awarded the English Tourism Council Four Star Hostel Rating. The Centre is located within a few minutes drive from the centre of York, in one of the most desirable and quiet parts of the city, overlooking the famous Knavesmire and the Racecourse. There is plenty of space for coaches and cars to manoeuvre and park in the grounds free of charge and coaches are welcome to come back to park during the day having dropped off their passengers in the city. It makes an ideal base for groups wishing to visit York and the many interesting features of Yorkshire. click here for more images