£40,000 and counting: fundraising to the fore at charity golf day
A fundraising golf day for an east of England charity saw over £7,000 raised in pursuit of their goal of ending homelessness.
Flagship Services, a repairs and maintenance arm of housing provider Bromford Flagship LiveWest, organised the fundraiser for Hopestead, the Norwich-based homelessness charity. Gasway and Flagship Homes, also part of the group, backed the day.
A total of 92 golfers in 23 teams – all of which are business partners with BFL – took part in the contest at the Royal Norwich golf club in Weston Longville.
After the 18-hole round the golfers gathered at the clubhouse for a barbecue. There was also a silent auction and raffle, with prizes including rounds of golf, a television, and a spa getaway.
In total, £7,461 was raised. Clinching the day was the team from Aspect Group Services, narrowly beating out teams from Resideo and Travis Perkins.
Lucy Parish, director of operations at Hopestead, said: "The generosity and kindness we see every year is something special. We’re blown away by the amount raised, but the opportunity to share our message and see people get stuck in as a result counts for so much.
"The funds raised this year will go directly back into Hopestead, helping us deliver practical solutions that support people experiencing homelessness and empower them to build brighter, more stable futures.
"We’re so grateful to everyone that helped make this day such a success.”
Initially set up by BFL group director of facilities and fleet Neal Simmons in 2017, this is the fifth year the golf day has been run to support Hopestead. The annual event has now raised more than £40,000 for the charity since its inception.
The team from Aspect Group Services won the day, beating out other corporate sponsors and partners in the full 18-hole round. L-R are Peter Graves, Paul Elliston, Chris Wilson, and Matt Dillon.
Mr Simmons said: “This is such a joy every year. Hopestead does such important work and it’s wonderful to be able to support them in tackling homelessness.
“Knowing what we’re raising money for drives every shot, and we’re really proud to contribute.”
Hopestead has also formed fundraising partnerships with organisations that took part, including its first 'gold' fundraising partner DMD Installations, which was announced as a partner earlier this year and aims to raise at least £10,000 for the charity.
Golfers tee off at Hopestead’s annual golf day fundraiser, which raised £7,461 this year