Teeing off for local children at the fourth annual charity golf day

On Friday 2 October, local businesses, golfers and supporters gathered at Chartham Park Golf and Country Club for the fourth annual East Grinstead Business Association Charity Golf Day, with every penny raised going to The Greenaway Foundation and the local children we support across much of Surrey, Sussex and Kent.

An early start at Chartham Park Golf & Country Club

The charity golf day began at 8.30am with bacon rolls, tea and coffee in the clubhouse, as teams caught up with old friends and met new faces before heading out onto the course. At 9.30am, Mims Davies MP got the day under way with a shotgun start, sending every team out at once across all 18 holes. We are very grateful to Mims for joining us again.

Plenty to play for on the course

Teams played a four ball format, and there was much more than bragging rights at stake. Konsileo generously sponsored our hole in one challenge across four holes, with prizes including a TaylorMade Qi4D driver, a £2,000 Golfbreaks voucher, a two night golf trip for four to the Forest of Arden and £10,000 of TUI holiday vouchers. Paella Fella added a touch of fun on the 5th with their own Nearest the Pan challenge.

Players were also competing for champagne for the winning and runner up teams, a fine bottle of wine for the best individual score, and the Champagne Moment award, nominated on the day.

Thank you to our hole sponsors

Local businesses made the course their own by sponsoring holes and greens. A special thank you to our main sponsor, Plumb Digital Media. Our thanks also go to BGL Communications, Ashdown Solutions, Kicks Dance, Paella Fella, Elite Office, Woods Hill Carpentry and Greenaway Residential Estate Agents. Your support makes a real difference, and it was lovely to see your names around the course.

Lunch, prizes and the auction

After around four hours on the course, players returned to the clubhouse for lunch, followed by the prize giving, raffle and auction. Auction lots included a family ticket to the Chequer Mead pantomime, a golf lesson donated by Rob at Chartham Park, Chartham Park four ball vouchers and a meal for four at Fera Restaurant in East Grinstead, plus many other aucyion prizes.

Then the winning team and runners up received their pizes, along with winners of the two longest drivem two closest the pin and the nearest the pan.

Where the money from the charity golf day goes

The Greenaway Foundation supports local children aged 0 to 17 from financially challenged families who fall under the radar of formal help. Funds raised help to provide Christmas meals and presents, school uniforms, school proms, help with school trips and residential holidays, and transport to school.

This Christmas we are hoping to feed 1,200 families and make 4,000 wishes come true. A wish is a specific present that a child has asked for, up to the value of £25, so every child receives something chosen just for them. Days like this one are a big part of making that possible.

Together, we raised just over £4,000 on the day. Thank you to everyone who played, sponsored, bid and bought raffle tickets.

A big thank you

None of this would happen without East Grinstead Business Association, and especially Grahame Russell, who puts so much into organising the day. Thank you to Fi, Nicole, Jason and the whole team at Chartham Park for looking after us so well, to everyone who donated prizes, and to every golfer who came along. If you would like to get involved this Christmas, you can volunteer with us or find out more about our Christmas programme.

Make a donation

If you were not able to join us on the day but would still like to help a local child this Christmas, every donation, large or small, goes straight to the families we support. Donate now.