Steve Golf Clubs Charity of the Year

When the person who was supposed to become Captain withdrew, I assumed the role. The first thing I did was decide who should become the Rayleigh Golf Club’s Senior Section Captain’s Charity of the year.

In 2020, a friend of the family sadly committed suicide and no-one knew why. Then the Covid-19 pandemic left people we know struggling with their mental health: they didn’t know what to do or where to go. This have me a strong desire to choose a mental health charity. A former work colleague volunteers at Basildon Mind so I choose that local charity.

Between 1st April 2022 and 31^st March 2023, I organised a number of fundraising events. I didn’t have a fundraising goal but hoped to raise a few thousand pounds.

It all started with the Captain’s Drive In on my first day, which kicked off the fundraising. Our first big event in July was the Captain’s Charity Dinner. This dinner/dance was attended by 110 and raised £1000.

Next was our September Invitation Event which consisted of a round of golf, followed by dinner. Basildon Mind helped me with a letter which I used to approach local businesses to donate the prizes used in a raffle. Almost 100 participants raised £500.

Next came the Christmas Ryder Cup golf tournament and quiz, which raised hundreds more pounds. In March 2023 was the Youngsters vs Olders where 2 of the better players from the Seniors played their counterparts from the main club. The match was followed by a raffle and sweepstake and the funds raised were split between our chosen charities. Another few hundred pounds were added to my fund.

We also received a number of individual contributions, some of hundreds of pounds!

Due to the generosity of the Seniors Section we raised an amazing £6,037. Mental health seemed to resonate with our club and some of my golfing colleagues told me it’s a subject close to their hearts and they know people who’ve got issues. This money will be used to counsel local children and youths aged 7-18 who are suffering with their mental health, which is a most worthwhile service. I hope the money we raised will enable Basildon Mind to spend the money I saved them on its other worthwhile services.

It’s been a busy year. It’s required lots of coordination and help from the Senior Section Committee and generosity from the Rayleigh Golf Club. I would also like to thank my wife Maddie for her help organising the raffles and prizes. We must have spent at least 100 hours organising these events. I didn’t realise how much work they were going to entail but the reward has outweighed the effort by a long stretch.

My advice to others is that fundraising is hard work but very rewarding: you feel you’ve achieved something worthwhile at the end. I stumbled into my Captain’s role but you should start by pre-planning events, setting a target for each. Get help from the start and your target will be surpassed. Ask your charity to support you with fundraising packs and advice. You will succeed and enjoy the hard work.