Kind-hearted golfers from a Northwood club have demonstrated their community spirit by raising £50,000 for a number of charities.

The money was raised by Sandy Lodge Golf Club members over a number of months, some pre-lockdown, by staging various golf events, sporting evenings, raffles and auctions.

Club captain Paul Boyle said: “This achievement demonstrates we have great members with a tremendous community spirit.”

Ladies captain Jacqueline Fine added: “I am so pleased we are able to raise such a significant sum of money to support local charities. It helps to make a big difference to many people.”

Watford Observer:

Billy Boland and Brian O’Connor, pictured above, raised £5,500 by succumbing to the hair clippers and undergoing sponsored number one cropped hair cuts.

Another member, Ben Lane, raised another £2,500 for Cancer Research after leading a four-man team that played 72 holes on the longest day of the summer in June.

Many familiar sporting names were involved in the fund-raising. Billy Foster, the caddy who has carried the bag of Lee Westwood, Darren Clarke, Sergio Garcia and the legendary Seve Ballesteros among others, was the guest of honour at a gentleman’s evening last year and former England rugby union captain Roger Uttley was the main attraction at a special auction evening just before lockdown.

The golfing company of former England Test batsmen Mark Ramprakash and Ian Bell, and ex-Scotland manager Gordon Strachan over 18 holes around Sandy Lodge were all put up for auction and helped swell the coffers.

Watford Observer:

Captains Paul Boyle and Jacqueline Fine

Among the charities that benefited were Carers UK, the Michael Sobel and Peace Hospices, the nearby Watford Mencap Home and the Colnbrook School for the autistic and dyslexic.

Captain Boyle said: “There are no bad charities but we thought the smaller local ones needed it most.”