GENEROUS golfers helped a much-loved charity move a ‘fairway’ restoring its coffers as its strives to recover from the pandemic.
St Teresa’s Hospice took over the annual charity golf event which had been organised by Sally Pickersgill of Heritage Healthcare and Landteam for the past 18 years raising an incredible £230,000 during this period.
The popular tournament, held at Blackwell Grange Golf Club, Darlington, looks set to raise more than £9,000 which will go some way to filling a hole in the finances caused by COVID and the associated lockdowns which hit fundraising hard.
Twenty teams took part in the tournament with Charles Clinkard’s The Cobblers taking the overall honours. In second place was IPC Ltd, while PWS took third.
PWS team member Marc Laing hit the longest drive while Rob Peacock, of Carver Commercial, won the nearest the pin competition.
All players received a medal for taking part and team prizes were presented for second to sixth place, as well as 19th to mark the fact it was the 19th year of the competition, the prize being donated by Landteam.
Chairman of St Teresa’s Hospice Board of Trustees Dr Harry Byrne presented the awards. He said: “The support we have received over the years has been outstanding but this year, given what the hospice has had to endure during the pandemic, it seems extra special.”
Heritage Healthcare director Glenn Pickersgill welcomed everyone to the presentation evening and also ran the auction.
He said: “Hospice services in Darlington and the surrounding area, provided by St Teresa’s, have come on so much since this event started 19 years ago. We are so pleased that support for the golf day was unstinted and hope it runs successfully for many years to come for what is a great cause.”
COVID decimated the hospice’s ability to raise funds leaving St Teresa’s struggling for money while staff and volunteers continued their vital work.
St Teresa’s Hospice needs to raise £3m a year to provide free in-patient and community care for people living with life-limiting illnesses and their families in Darlington, South Durham and North Yorkshire.
Hospice chief executive Jane Bradshaw said: “It is so heart-warming to see our stalwart fundraisers take place once again after what has been the most difficult period in the hospice’s history.
“Even after handing over the baton to our fundraising team, Sally, Glenn and Heritage Healthcare were on hand to ensure the tournament was a success, which it certainly was, and I can’t thank them enough for this year and all the golf days that came before.”
Proceeds were also raised through the sponsorship of tees by Thomas Watson Auctioneers, Rollaturf Ltd, Dale Care Ltd, Glenwoods, Modus Subsea Services, Landteam, Heritage Healthcare, Turkey Mill Investments Ltd, Towergate Insurance and A1 Muckaway Ltd.
Extra support from the community came in the form of a host of raffle prizes and auction lots and Blackwell Grange Golf Club for providing support at the venue.
Anyone wishing to enter a team in 2022 can email events@darlingtonhospice.org.uk or call (01325) 254321 to register.