Fundraising has been a real positive focus during the latter part
of February and into March.
As we celebrated Valentine’s Day on the 14th February
it was the weekend ladies turn to support the Cupid Pairs Competition. Winners
were congratulated on the day and results were posted on the blog. Overall, the two days added a further £108 to
the lady captains charity for the year.
On 25th February, I was able to go with Jane and some
other ladies to Maidstone Hospital for the cheque presentation to Breast Cancer
Kent. It was a real pleasure to see the
unit and meet the doctors who could not have been more grateful for the
fantastic lady captain charity effort from 2014. We heard the work the unit were doing and got
a sense of the difference that can be made and once again what the funds raised
have been used for. Jane has shared a
photo on the blog as we posed with the big cheque which was presented. Very
special!
I have also added another charity to my fundraising for the year
which will get donations from the London to Paris Bike ride in June. It is the Kent
Oncology Centre in Maidstone (via Macmillan Cancer Support) it will be nice to
support another local charity. Joe Harris and I launched our online fundraising
site just over 3 weeks ago and we will be giving an equal split from both our totals
to each of the nominated charities and the amounts will also include gift aid
to boost the totals. Lesley has agreed to report this as part of her
treasurer’s report too later in the year.
I am also pleased to let you know that Darent Valley has already
been in contact to let us know that the money has started to reach them. It will mean the Diabetes Centre wish list
will be fulfilled much earlier than I ever imagined. Hearing that certainly has spurred Joe and I
on as we ramp up our training for June!
I will remember that as I tackle yet another hill on my training rides.
On 27 February, another £100 was added to the charity pot as
Yvonne Gormley kindly hosted an afternoon with Prosecco and specially made
cakes for the occassion at her new home. Pictures and a small write up from the
day has been posted on the blog.
I also thank those who take part in the roll up on Sundays. Each week a £1 stake is wagered by each
person who plays and more often than not those who win donate the total to the
charity and the collection tin needs changed once again. Little and often certainly boosts the funds
and ensures all the ideas we come up with seem to gather lots of support.
Spring seems to have shown a proper appearance as we welcomed
March with some days filled with sunshine so I hope you have all been able to
enjoy some golf with less mud although I think it will be some time before we
stay clean out on the course.
The Cecil Leitch 5 club competition was well supported and there
is a write up on the blog separately to keep you all up to date. Thanks go to Carol Eldridge and Sue Gofton as
this was the first competition of the year that they organised in their new
dual role and they ensured we were all kept in line with the draw being
completed in good time.
I would also like to point out that we have to follow the competition
rules. I urge you to ensure you sign up for competitions before draws are done as
you cannot just add your name to the end of the competition once the draw has
been done, you have to sign up before the closing date so please watch the
noticeboard as the season picks up. . A reminder of the rules will be posted on
the noticeboard shortly outlining the process and a note added to all draw
sheets. Thank you in advance for making
life easy for your committee.
We have much to look forward to as the season ramps up and the
competition team have been posting the competition signup sheets for April
already. We are hoping to welcome many
of you to the Spring Meeting on Tuesday 12th April. The draws for the summer knockouts will be
drawn shortly so hopefully you have signed up at the office, if not it is not
too late!
Winter knockouts are drawing to a conclusion and we wish the
finalists all the best. Results are on
the noticeboard and we will announce the winners on the blog once the match has
been played.
Our Pearson campaign continues and we have two matches left to
play against West Kent during March. Our
group is close so the team need some good wins and I know everyone will be out
there trying their best. So Good Luck to them.
As we celebrate Easter I look forward to seeing you at the Easter
fun competitions planned and remain hopeful that the weather is kind.
Also during the month I met with Kate and we discussed the work
that continues on the Spitfire. The
management team are sending out regular updates in the newsletter and other
circulars so hopefully we will see a difference going into April as activity on
the first hole remains on schedule.
I am also delighted to confirm two new events for 2015. The first
being, a ladies invitation day, which
will hopefully showcases our ladies section and where you can invite a friend
and host a nice golfing day in July. The
signup sheet is already on the board as we need to gauge numbers early given
this is a new day in our already busy calendar.
To celebrate the golfing year and to have an evening with ladies
only the committee will help me to host a Thanksgiving evening in November (26th)
details of which will be confirmed nearer the time, but please note the date in
your diary as there are few opportunities to have the section gathered and this
one should celebrate successes this year.
So you will agree lots to look forward to so I sign off as usual by wishing you all continued happy golfing
and swing slow.
Regards g
10 March 2015
Reminder – Keep an eye on your blog
updates are posted on the ladies blog
throughout the month – Here is the link : www.wmladiessection.blogspot.co.uk