West Ham United Foundation’s second annual Charity Golf Day, supported by Paragon Customer Communications, saw Hammers legends and fans come together last month to raise £28,675 for charitable causes.
Hosted at Thorndon Park Golf Club, the event proved a huge success, with attendees enjoying a full day of golf and games with Hammers legends including James Collins, Marlon Harewood, Jimmy Walker, Kenny Brown, Stuart Slater, Steve Jones, Brian Dear, Martin Allen and George Parris.
The former footballers teamed up with golf-playing supporters to raise impactful funds for the Foundation, who deliver and assist a range of social-good initiatives to assist families living in poverty, tackle anti-social behaviour and provide employability support.
Attendees had the option of entering the Golf Day’s 18 holes either as a four-ball team, or as a three-ball team with a legend as their fourth player.
Funds were raised on the course with support from hole sponsors AMG Waterproofing, AMOS Properties and UFL, and players striking up penalty shots – with rules for fines set out by Club captain Mark Noble in commanding form!
To golfers’ delight there were fun competitions spread across the green, including ‘Beat the Pro’ (against PGA Professional James Wood), ‘Nearest to Pin’ and ‘Longest Drive’, each drawing prizes, while refreshments before tee-off, at the Halfway House and after their rounds saw entrants well catered for.
As players returned to the Clubhouse, they received goody bags, a two-course dinner, took part in a raffle and enjoyed an in-depth Q&A session with the legends themselves.
It was then the turn of fans’ favourite Walker to take the microphone for the evening, revealing that Harewood’s team – which included James, John and Martin – won out with 94 points, narrowly ahead of Slater’s side (John, Joseph and Chris) in second on 93 points and Parris’ (including Tony, Luke and Ian) in third on 92.
There was also the traditional ‘Wooden Spoon’ prize and competition results, with five players revealed to have bested the pro – including both Parris and Collins!
Capping off a brilliant day, Walker hosted a spectacular fundraising auction, with prizes ranging from a signed Declan Rice England shirt and a squad-signed West Ham shirt to hospitality match tickets, VIP hospitality at the O2, and sports memorabilia.
The end result of an enjoyable day saw £28,675 worth of funds raised for the Foundation, whose 30-plus initiatives engage up to 50,000 people of all ages and abilities across Essex and the London boroughs of Newham, Tower Hamlets, Redbridge, Barking and Dagenham, and Havering, each year.
Joseph Lyons, Chief Executive of the West Ham United Foundation, reflected on the day: “That fundraising total is an incredible gift to us in terms of what we can now do for the community.
“It can be quite hard in the charity world in terms of costs, but we’re really proud that the Foundation spends 92p of every £1 donated on delivering the programmes that change the lives of every individual we reach.
“More and more of your support lets us do more and more work. Fundraising activities like the Golf Day just let us go a little bit further.
“I couldn’t wish for a better Club in terms of the support West Ham United gives us. The fans, the legends and the current players give up so much time to come to our events and help us on days like today, and I can’t thank enough everyone who continues to support us.
“I’ve also seen how many people love playing golf and love playing football – combine the two of them to raise money for a great cause, and it’s been a winning formula! For sure, we’ll be doing a lot more Golf Days in the future!”
Walker added: “It was a cracking day – apart from the golf, at least for me!
“No, I was actually alright – although maybe not quite as good as Marlon Harewood!
“It was all for a fantastic cause; the Foundation truly does amazing things. Even on the odd occasion it rained, everyone had a smile on their face, raising a lot of money for a great cause, a fantastic cause – one which I’m humbled to be able to support.”
And Collins chimed in: “It was a brilliant day. I’d been looking forward to the event for a long time, and it was great to see so many people out there enjoying it.
“What the Foundation do is brilliant. There’s so much work that goes on in the community and you can really see the difference it makes in people’s lives, particularly when these fundraising events come about.
“It was a good day, I’ve met a lot of really nice supporters, and I’m already looking forward to the next one.”
To learn more about the work that the West Ham United Foundation does, please click here.
To register your interest for the Foundation’s next Golf Day or find out more about how you can get involved please contact [email protected]