Brighton friends take on 72-hole golf challenge to raise funds for special care babies
Lee Middleton and Shane Dilloway-Thompson, two friends from Brighton, have set themselves an impressive challenge in support of special care babies. On Friday 21st June, they will play 72 holes of golf at East Brighton Golf Club, starting at 5.30 am and finishing by 8.30 pm. This grueling task is the equivalent of walking a marathon before even swinging a club, and to make it even more challenging, they have set a rule of no buggies!
The dynamic duo has chosen to support New Life Special Care Babies, a charity that raises money to buy specialist neonatal equipment for hospitals across the South of England. Lee, who has been supporting the charity for around 10 years, explains that his initial motivation came from knowing Trevor Goodall, the CEO and Founder, through family and friends and hearing his story.
New Life has been supporting hospitals across the South of England for 27 years, with its first being The Great Western in Swindon. The CEO’s twin boys, Joshua and Samuel, were born at 24 weeks in 1995 but sadly passed away a week later. Lee says, “I have been supporting New Life now for around 10 years. I think the first event I attended was the charity ball, which was a great evening and has been replicated annually since then.”
Both Lee and Shane are avid golfers and thought a 72-hole challenge would be the ultimate test for them. They have been practicing hard, completing around 27 holes in one day to date. “72 holes is going to be a huge challenge for us,” says Lee. “But knowing we are raising lots of money for specialist neonatal equipment will be a great motivator. There is such a lack of funding in this area, so any difference we can make to support Trevor and his amazing work each year is worth it. His story is very sad, and I would like to help as many families as possible of premature babies in the future. My network of friends and family has been very generous in supporting me in other challenges for New Life, including a triathlon in 2023.”
Lee works for Picture More Recruitment, which has chosen to raise funds for New Life in 2024. The company plans to raise a minimum of £1000 by the end of the year through bake sales, charity walks, and other social events. A JustGiving link has been set up for anyone who would like to support Lee and Shane. Visit justgiving.com/campaign/72holesoneday to make a donation.
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Derick is an experienced reporter having held multiple senior roles for large publishers across Europe. Specialist subjects include small business and financial emerging markets.