REDDITCH Golf Club has chosen the Midlands Air Ambulance as its charity of the year for 2016.
News that one in 20 of all missions carried out by Midlands Air Ambulance (MAA) is to attend golfers suffering a heart attack has prompted the Callow Hill club to choose MAA as its beneficiary.
Former Group Captain Cas Capewell, who is club captain in 2016, and ladies’ captain Sue Garforth selected the charity to raise awareness of the life-saving work MAA undertakes.
A member donated a defibrillator to the club in 2013, so Capewell and Garforth saw the selection of their 2016 charity as a logical next step.
Capewell said: “Midlands Air Ambulance’s 2014 report shows the charity attended to 84 people on golf courses that year. That’s one every four days.
“Every year MAA airlifts a number of people from golf courses who have suffered cardiac arrests, heart attacks or strokes.”
The club now has a defibrillator on site in response to the Bernard Gallagher Defibrillator Campaign, which aims to ensure there is this life-saving device at every club in the country.
MAA is the charity responsible for funding and operating three air ambulances serving the communities of six counties – Worcestershire, Herefordshire, Gloucestershire, Shropshire, Staffordshire and West Midlands.
Lady Captain Garforth said: “What is not widely known is that MAA receives no government or National Lottery funding.
“Each MAA mission costs £2,500 and more than £7m is needed each year to keep its three air ambulances operational – money which is donated entirely by the public and local businesses.
“Cas and I are very proud to make this the captains’ charity for 2016.”
MEANWHILE, it has been revealed Redditch Golf Club’s captains raised just over £16,000 plus Gift Aid for Parkinson’s UK in 2015.
The charity was chosen by 2015 club captain Nigel Clay and lady captain Viv Hind.
At a special presentation the two captains handed over a cheque to Sarah Wakeman, West Midlands regional fund-raiser for Parkinson’s UK.
The money was raised over the past 12 months from various auctions, charity events, charity open golf days, raffles and donations from members and guests throughout the year.
Clay said: “Every hour someone in the UK is told they have Parkinson’s – a brain condition that turns lives upside down and leaves a future full of uncertainty.
“Parkinson’s UK is there to help make sure people have what they need to take back control, from information to inspiration.”
Hind added: “Ultimately the goal is to defeat Parkinson’s, which is why we were keen to do everything possible in our year as captains to raise money towards research that we all hope will one day find a cure.
“Nigel and I were completely overwhelmed by the sheer generosity of our members, who keep giving and boosting the captains’ charity choice every year.”
