A charity golf day held at Darrington Golf Club near Pontefract has raised more than £3,000 for the palliative and bereavement support charity, Sue Ryder.
Organised by 46-year-old Company Director Chris Otley, from Middleton, and his colleague Kris Parker from SixtyEightDegrees, the fundraiser was ‘a way of giving back’ to Sue Ryder Wheatfields Hospice. The hospice, based in Headingley, provided expert care for Chris’ dad, David, following a devastating cancer diagnosis. Chris explained:
“About three years ago, Dad was diagnosed with oesophageal cancer. But he had all his treatments and was discharged. Everything seemed to be pretty good.
“In December 2022, he started feeling a bit unwell, and was later diagnosed with Stage 4 liver cancer. Towards the end, Sue Ryder provided care for him at home. He referred to the nurses as his ‘angels’ who came round to look after him.
“It’s hard to describe the care he received from Sue Ryder – I genuinely don’t know how the staff do it. They’re absolutely brilliant.
“Over the last 6-7 years, our companies have done some charity golf days and other fundraising events – we’ve raised somewhere in the region of £100,000 for charity. This time I suggested we fundraise for Sue Ryder and St Gemma’s Hospice, and everyone said ‘yes, 100 percent!’ ”
The golf tournament, which followed the Texas Scramble format, was held at Darrington Golf Club on 25 July, with 16 teams of four players competing on the day. Local supplier Tuff Shop were the eventual winners.
Chris added:
“We were lucky with the weather. It turned out nice and warm, and conditions were pretty good.
“We sent beer buggies out on the course while people were playing to make sure everyone was well hydrated. We wanted people to come along, play golf, enjoy themselves, and most importantly, raise some money!”
The event generated an impressive £6,162 in donations and sponsorship. Chris evenly distributed the donations, giving £3,081 to both Sue Ryder Wheatfields Hospice and St Gemma’s Hospice in Moortown.
Chris concluded:
“I’d like to thank all our sponsors, the people who came and donated on the day, and those who donated even though they couldn’t make it – friends, family, customers, suppliers, everyone who was there to be part of it. And thank you to Kris in the office for organising the event – he’s spent countless hours over the last 6-8 months arranging it all.”
Community Fundraiser for Sue Ryder Wheatfields Hospice, Clare Humphreys, said:
“From all of us at Sue Ryder Wheatfields Hospice, we want to say a huge thank you to Chris and his colleagues for this generous donation. The money raised means we can continue to provide expert and compassionate care to families in Leeds going through their hardest times.”
For more information about Sue Ryder Wheatfields Hospice, visit: sueryder.org/wheatfields
To find out more about fundraising for Sue Ryder Wheatfields Hospice, including joining or setting up a fundraising group contact wheatfields.fundraising@sueryder.org
This post is based on a press release issued by Sue Ryder
Photo: Chris Otley, who organised the charity golf day, with Clare Humphreys, Community Fundraiser for Sue Ryder Wheatfields Hospice
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