Charity Golf Day - What a Success

Friday 18 September at Parc Golf Club was one of the best days I’ve ever been part of, and the bit that still hits me hardest is this: we smashed through the GoFundMe target! Beesure Limited and some close friends put the whole day together. Seventy-two friends and family signed up to play, and every bit of it was fundraising for Cancer Research UK, REST, and the Solo Atlantic crossing (including getting Songline home afterwards). Before we even got to the course properly, there was a simulator nearest-the-pin, everyone got a branded golf shirt with the charities and sponsors on it, and a little gift bag for the day. Then we all gathered on the first tee to watch my group go off. Seventy-two people watching your first drive is not exactly calm conditions. After that first shot though (let’s not discuss where it went), the nerves went. The next two were thankfully down the middle, the longest about 245 yards. My good friend Chris Parsons won the “Guess how long will Luke’s drive be?” competition with a prize of £320, and very kindly put it straight back into the charity instead of keeping it. That was the tone of the whole day. Cash prizes got won, and they went back into the pot. You guys are amazing. There’s also a little bonus video in the photos with this post of Jon, in our group, taking his first drive. I’ll give you one guess who was holding the air horn... Then it was a shotgun start, the course to ourselves for the afternoon, and a brilliant atmosphere. Volunteers on buggies kept the drinks coming and everyone topped up. In the evening we had the prize ceremony. First, second, third and last were all really well received. Congratulations to everyone that won prizes. The scoring was incredibly competitive (with some dodgy handicaps i'd like to add…) Straight after the prizes came the raffle and the auction, and this is where the day really took off. Every single prize had been donated. Nothing was bought in. The generosity of people giving things for free was unbelievable on its own. Then people dug deep again to buy raffle tickets and bid in the auction, and that support turned into serious money. The auction alone raised about £4,000. Watching prize after prize go, knowing every pound was heading to the charities and the crossing, was properly emotional. The support from both sides, the people who donated the prizes and the people who bought them, went such a long way. It was also heartwarming to have both my kids, George and Olive, there for the post-golf fun. Seeing them at a charity day in my name was really special. After that, the rest of the night was DJ, buffet, and non-golfing supporters arriving for drinks, catch-ups and a proper night of fun. Thank you to everyone who came along. It was so good to see so many people I know and love all together in one place. The day raised and incredible £11,552. It's an unbelievable amount of money that I never could have imagined would be raised from the day. That total smashed through the £40,000 target I had on the GoFundMe. It’s so much more than I ever imagined I would raise when this was just an idea in a hospital chair after diagnosis. I don't know how to express my gratitude truly. I don’t want to stop here though. Charities lean so hard on people fundraising, and after everything I’ve been through, I want to keep supporting Cancer Research UK and REST as much as I can, because they mean so much to me. Thank you to Beesure, friends, family, the volunteers, the sponsors, everyone who played, donated prizes, bought raffle tickets, bid in the auction, or just turned up for the evening. You made this day what it was and i'm forever thankful. Luke