Fund Raising

A race night is a great way to raise funds, and having live ferrets in a Flat Caps & Ferrets©® event instead of the usual videos/DVDs of horse or dog races, adds something extra, making the whole evening different.

We have operated this service for over 40 years, and have helped charities raise over £1M! When you place a booking with us, we will supply comprehensive details on how to make your Flat Caps & Ferrets©® event a huge success.

It is important to remember that a Flat Caps & Ferrets©® event is a social, as well as a fund-raising, event; the intention is to make money for your charity in an enjoyable fashion. In general, the bigger and more lively the audience, the more money will be generated on the night. Also, the more enjoyable the event, the more likely your guests will be to support future events.

In Flat Caps & Ferrets©® ferret racing events, ferrets compete with each other, each in its own set of tubes. Interspersed along these lengths of tubing are small sections of wire mesh, enabling the “punters” to see the ferrets.

Members of the audience are trained as ferret jockeys, and then officially placed in charge of the ferret allocated to each of them; where the event is being staged to support a charity, it is usual to charge these people a fee for the privilege.

Once the ferrets are released from their starting traps, anything can happen. No-one can predict the outcome of a ferret race.

Throughout the event, the safety and welfare of ferrets and public is paramount. All ferrets used for the event are “quiet” (tame) and habituated to this type of work. Between races, the ferrets are kept in suitable accommodation, where ample food, water, company and shelter are available, and we adhere to our own strict CODE of PRACTICE to ensure the ferrets’ welfare and wellbeing at all times.

Everyone will enjoy ferret racing, and Flat Caps & Ferrets©® is the leader in this field, with a product and service which reflects the best in the sport, with quality purpose-made equipment and a truly professional presentation.

We run several tubes in each race, and bring enough ferrets to ensure that the runners differ in every race – no two races will have the same ferrets running in the same order, and no-one will know which ferret will be placed in any specific tube until the start of the race, after betting has ceased.

We will supply you with a race card that you can personalise for your event.

We also provide medals for the winner of each heat, and a small trophy for the winner of the Grand Final.

We can run these events indoors or outdoors.

Watch our video for a flavour of what goes on.

Some details and further considerations...

PUBLIC ADDRESS (PA) SYSTEM

this is ESSENTIAL in any venue, if you are to capitalise on the event and it MUST be high quality. Because most venues do not have an adequate PA system, our service includes our own professional quality PA system, complete with a hands-free radio microphone.

FERRET ROULETTE

Another great way to raise funds for your charity, this game consists of a special barrel, with six coloured exits. Punters bet on which exit the ferret will use.

In order to give the best possible experience for you and your guests, we use an HD camera, projector and screen to let everyone see what’s happening inside the barrel.

TOTE

You should organise a tote for the races, as this is more attractive to the punters, and also ensures that you make a healthy profit on every race. We do not get involved with this aspect of the evening, and so you should arrange a team of people (“bookie’s clerks”) to sell betting slips (most people use cloakroom tickets) for each tube.

PUBLICITY FOR YOUR EVENT

Ferret racing is different, and will be attractive to the media. A simple press release or even a phone call to local newspapers, radio and even TV stations will almost inevitably raise interest, and result in good publicity for your event, your organisation and your charitable work.

RACE CARDS

are another ESSENTIAL and ensure that your punters know what’s happening; they also give the perfect opportunity for your sponsors to be given a name check. You could even get a sponsor for the race card, if you're good at sweet-talking. We supply a template race card suitable for you to personalise for your event.

You can save money by numbering the race cards and using them as admission tickets for the event.

PRIZES

We supply a medal for the winner of each heat, and a small trophy for the winner of the Grand Final. We suggest that you also present the winner of the Grand Final with a bottle of bubbly (or similar).