Ladbrokes has thrown its support behind Racing Queensland’s ‘1 for the Bush’ fundraising campaign, pledging to match the RQ contribution dollar for dollar.

Under the 1 for the Bush initiative, Racing Queensland will donate $1000 every time the number one runner is victorious across the state’s three racing codes, with the funds to be directed to the Queensland Country Women’s Association’s Public Rural Crisis Fund.

Ladbrokes Australia CEO Dean Shannon praised Racing Queensland for its innovative approach to helping those in need and was quick to throw the support of the Queensland-based business behind it to do the same.

“1 for the Bush is a great initiative from Racing Queensland and Ladbrokes Australia is very pleased to announce it will match RQ’s contribution dollar for dollar,” Shannon said.

“There are a lot of communities doing it tough at the moment due to this drought, but one of the great attributes of Queenslanders is that we rally around each other when the chips are down.

“As a proud Queensland-based business we are glad to support this very worthy cause.”

Ladbrokes’ involvement in the 1 for the Bush campaign was welcomed by Racing Queensland CEO Brendan Parnell and he noted the strong support that the company consistently offers the Queensland community.

 “We’re extremely grateful to Ladbrokes for their response to 1 for the Bush and their willingness to match dollar for dollar,” Parnell said.

 “As the only corporate wagering operator headquartered in the state, they continue to play a meaningful role in Queensland communities though their willingness to help.

“We saw that earlier in the year with their support for those impacted by the North Queensland floods and now we’re seeing it again through drought-relief.”

There will be 11 race meetings conducted in Queensland on Saturday at the Gold Coast, Albion Park, Doomben, Toowoomba, Ipswich, Kilcoy, Barcaldine, Innisfail, Goondiwindi, Thangool and Mount Isa.

On top of that Sunshine Coast, Albion Park, Redcliffe, Capalaba and Nanango will host meetings on Sunday.