Insurance workers tee-off a second year of fundraising for local hospice with charity golf day

The Insurance Institute of Cheltenham and Gloucester will be supporting Sue Ryder Leckhampton Court Hospice as their official chosen charity of the year, for the second time.

The institute started fundraising for the hospice in May 2021, raising a grand total of £2094 by the end of their 21/22 fundraising season. This year’s fundraising calendar was kick started with a golf day which took place on 16th June.

The institute – comprised of 2,000 members from the world of insurance and financial services – are based throughout the county of Gloucestershire, including Cheltenham, Gloucester, Stroud and the Forest of Dean, as well as some of Swindon.

Tim Chandler, 40, a Commercial Underwriter at Gloucester-based Ageas, was appointed as the Insurance Institute of Cheltenham and Gloucester President for a second term earlier this year. He explains why he has chosen to continue supporting the hospice alongside his fellow institute members. “Sue Ryder Leckhampton Court Hospice helped care for a friend in 2019 who spent time at the hospice following his treatment, so I am aware of the brilliant work they do. Sue Ryder is also my local charity, the hospice is close to where I live and I wanted to keep our fundraising close.”

Throughout 2021 and into early 2022, the institute lent their support to the hospice as much as Covid restrictions allowed. Tim also cycled the distance of the area the Institute covers in Spring of last year (calculating the distance through individual rides) in a bid to raise further funds. The institute were finally able to round-off the year with their first face to face event –  their annual members’ dinner held at Manor by The Lake in Cheltenham in February 2022 – where they raised over £2,000.

This year, the Annual Golf Day was their first event of the fundraising season, held at Brickhampton Golf Club in Churchdown Cheltenham on Thursday 16^th June 2022. The day included breakfast, 18 holes and a barbeque. There were 80 golfers in total, and prizes were given to the overall winning team, the person closest to the hole in a shot, and the longest drive.

The organisers offered the opportunity to buy a mulligan – an extra stroke allowed after a poor shot, not counted on the scorecard – which helped to top up their fundraising total. Three volunteers from Sue Ryder helped out on the day registering people and running the raffle, as well as giving a talk about the work of the charity and how the money raised will help to support local people. They were delighted to raise £1,050.

On the event, Tim says: “We had a day of nice sunny weather, and everyone was in good spirits.  It’s a professional event, but we wanted everyone to enjoy themselves, which I definitely think we achieved, as well as, of course, helping to raise vital funds for Sue Ryder.”

“I would like to thank Simon McGill who is the institute education lead on the council, and his wife, Lisa McGill, who organised the golf day, as well as everyone who joined us and helped to make it such a success.”

Not only will the Institute be continuing to raise money for the hospice through fundraising activities like these – the staff are also continuing to give their time by volunteering at events, starting with the annual Sue Ryder Ride for Ryder event which took place on 10^th July this year.

Alysia Cameron-Price, Community Fundraising Manager at Sue Ryder Leckhampton Court Hospice said, “After such a successful year of fundraising, we’re so grateful to the Cheltenham and Gloucester Insurance Institute for choosing to support us as their chosen charity of the year for the second year running. The funds raised over the course of the twelve months are vital in allowing us to continue providing the local community with compassionate, expert care they deserve – and partnerships such as this make that possible.”

Gloucester News Centre – http://gloucesternewscentre.co.uk