Riverside Caravan Park Charity Golf Day

Bentham park’s golfers drive an £8,000 windfall for cancer charity. Golf players have swung into action at a Yorkshire Dales holiday park to support a cancer charity which is helping a young sufferer from the area to cope with their illness. And after the last ball had been sunk at Riverside Caravan Park Charity Golf Day in High Bentham, it was announced that the teams had raised an impressive £8,000 for the good cause.

The match was played at Bentham Golf Course which adjoins the park, both of which are owned by the Marshall family

The donation will now help the Teenage Cancer Trust in its work to improve the cancer experience of young people throughout their treatment.

Helping the Teenage Cancer Trust

The cheque was presented to Emma Cross, the charity’s philanthropy manager, by Thomas and Jane Marshall, along with key figures from the club.

Thomas said that he and club members were moved to organise the tournament by the experience of a young member of staff who was diagnosed last year with non-Hodgkin lymphoma.

She joined the business three years ago and is continuing to work for the club whilst receiving treatment for the disease which affects the body’s immune system.

The £8,000 was raised by a combination of entry fees paid by the 72 players, a raffle, the day’s profits from the course’s golf shop, and donations which continued to come in after the match.

In addition, Riverside Caravan Park donated £10.00 for each birdie – a score one under par – achieved by players during the match.

There were 270 birdies notched up in total, meaning the park’s donation came to £2,700.00.

“We knew in advance that the tournament was being very well supported, but everyone was both surprised and delighted when the final figure was calculated,” said Thomas.

£8,000 of donations

“The donation will go to help the work of a very worthy cause which has reached out to a valued members of our team from the start, and continues to be there for her during her treatment.

“The club’s donation will help the charity train and fund NHS staff to become teenage cancer specialists, and also support its work in helping patients cope with their condition.

“We’re grateful to everyone who played a part in making this tournament the huge success it was, and especially to our club team for their hard work behind the scenes,” said Thomas.

Bentham Golf Course recently celebrated its centenary, but 20 years ago its future was in grave doubt after membership numbers dwindled and income plummeted.

When the Marshall family heard of its plight, they decided to step in and buy the club to save it from falling into administration, and to give it a head-to-toes makeover.

Improvements included the building of a new clubhouse with a top-class restaurant and bar, a driving range, golf shop, and extensive landscaping.

A development of luxury lodges and glamping facilities, called Wenningdale Escapes, was also created and which provides accommodation for visiting players and non-golfing visitors.

The changes have brought about a success story and won a prestigious reputation for the club as one of the best appointed and most spectacularly sited courses in the county.

There is more information about the course and its facilities at www.benthamgolfclub.co.uk