Great Leighs once had a lion's head over the outlet. In 2008, Great Leighs became home to the first new racecourse in 80 years, when the nearby Essex County Showground was converted into a state-of-the-art horse-racing venue. Great Leighs Racecourse held its first race meeting on 20 April 2008 and staged its first meeting fully open to the public from 28 to 29 May 2008. However, the course had its temporary licence revoked on 16 January 2009 and did not seen racing again unto 11 January 2015. Great Leighs Great Leighs is a village in the City of Chelmsford district of Essex,
Eppie's Great Race Time." In 2005, a concurrently running and cycling Kid's Duathlon put on by Eppie's Great Race was introduced to area youth. Both events are presented by Eppie's Great Race Foundation and are the primary beneficiary to Sacramento County Therapeutic Recreational Services, which is part of the County Parks System, assisting with the disabled community in recreational services.To date, Eppie's Great Race Foundation has donated more than $1 million to this cause. Eppie's Great Race celebrated its 40th anniversary in 2013. The 2014 Great Race was the first without founder Eppie Johnson who died in September 2013. The 2018 Great Race