Wednesday 4 July 2018 was a special day for Sundridge Park Golf Club – not only did it host the Variety Club Golf Society’s annual Guest Day, it also hosted its first Golf for Disabled Children golf lesson.
8 children from the Marjorie McClure school in Chislehurst came to Sundridge Park Golf Club (in their Sunshine Coach, which had been donated to the school at the golf club just 4 years earlier) and had their first ever golf lesson with resident Assistant Professional John Macklen. “What a rewarding experience,” commented John “to see the joy on these children’s faces. I hope they enjoyed the lesson as much as I did”. Guy Wilkins - Sports Teacher from Marjorie McClure said of the lesson “What a great morning for the children. It is amazing that through the generosity of others they have been able to learn a new activity that offers a sense of achievement and gets them out in the fresh air. Thank you to everyone who helped make this happen”. Golf for Disabled Children was initiated in the Midlands by Michael Leek OBE and John Lee and operates at around 20 clubs in the area. However, following a recent partnership with the Variety Club Golf Society, the scheme is branching out to schools in and around the South East, bringing the same joy to many more children. The scheme is funded entirely by donations, with Sundridge Park member Tommy White of Samac Construction very generously sponsoring the lessons taking place there. “I have recently joined the Variety Club Golf Society and was keen to help when I heard of their involvement with Golf for Disabled Children from fellow member Tony Negal. Tony has been instrumental in helping to get the lessons up and running. Donating to such a great cause was an easy decision for our Company” – Tommy White, Director of Samac Construction.
Following the lesson, members and guests of Sunridge Park and the Variety Club Golf Society gathered to donate a Sunshine Coach to another deserving Special needs school based in Lewisham – Abbey Manor College. In association with Rob Sargent from The Acorn Group and the Variety Club Golf Society members, the new Sunshine coach was donated to help the children of the school get out and about and enjoy activities that many of us take for granted. The coach was happily driven back to Lewisham, allowing the golfers to get out on the course and enjoy the “sunshine”. The 5 members of SundridgePark were the sponsors of the Guest Day, Tony Negal, Alex Yazdani, Rob Sargent, Nick Dible, and Tony Barrett and a staggering £12,000 was raised on the day for the Variety Club to help towards putting yet another Sunshine Coach on the road to a much deserving Special Needs Children’s School in the near future.
Jamie Little, Director of the Variety Club, said that without the support from these amazing, generous members of Sundridge Park along with the guidance from Tony Negal we wouldn’t be able to make such a big difference to these Children’s lives and for that, we are forever grateful.
