This year’s annual golf day was all about togetherness, fun and fundraising. On 5th September 2018, we were joined by 110 of our favourite people from local businesses and charities across Leeds, at Leeds Golf Centre.

A very special guest from The Prince’s Trust

Last year we announced our partnership with The Prince’s Trust at the annual golf day. This year, as we continue to support the charity, we were lucky enough to welcome one of the trust’s young ambassadors, Quej. The Prince’s Trust transform the lives of young people who have had a hard start in life and Quej’s story is no exception.

Young Ambassador, Quej’s story

Originally from Congo, Quej’s family escaped the Civil War when he was seven and fled to Rwanda but life as refugees wasn’t easy. The family had to adapt to a new culture and language. They were living on the streets and unable to afford an education.

Seven years ago, Quej’s family came to Britain. Again, more barriers to overcome – Quej jokes that the cold weather was one. Another new language to learn, another place to try and integrate. Here’s where Quej’s passion for sport came in handy. He joined a youth club, started going for a kick about and then discovered The Prince’s Trust and their football programme.

Fast forward and Quej is now a youth worker and coach at the Tigers Trust in Hull. He says it’s all thanks to The Prince’s Trust and he’s repaying them by volunteering as a young ambassador. Quej is an inspiration and leaves us all thinking as he exclaims, ‘Football isn’t just a sport; it’s a language’. He’s summarised, pretty neatly, the way we feel about sport at Leeds Golf Centre too.

We’ve got a suspicion that Quej’s footballing background might have given him an advantage in the Footgolf! Which brings us on to the itinerary for the day…

It was a day of sportsmanship

First up we challenged guests that hadn’t played golf before to a game of Footgolf – which definitely kept some people on their toes! If you haven’t come across it before, Footgolf is like golf but with a football instead of a club. Well done to Lee, from Arcadis, for winning!

For the golfers amongst us, the day got off to a start with a golf clinic led by our Leeds Golf Centre pros. Sessions with Chris concentrated on the fundamentals of full swings. And Joe’s sessions focussed on the common problems with bunker, chip and run, and pitch shots, with Joe sharing his top tips for overcoming these issues.

After lunch it was out to the course for a highly anticipated round of golf and it looked like the morning’s practice paid off. Adam Simms’ team were the winners with a score of 96 – congrats guys! Ed Connell took the individual prize with a score of 41 (an impressive 6 shots under his handicap). There were some nearest pin competitions too with Chris Jones winning the 7th hole and Gary Broadley the 13th.

The charity auction

Before everyone tucked into their evening meal, a guest from Leeds based St George’s Crypt gave a speech about their incredible work with the homeless. It’s an exciting time for the charity as they continue to expand their services. In fact, they had just put an offer in on a house the previous day, which will hopefully become more supported accommodation for those in need. We donated the uneaten food from the day to help feed their current clients.

Then it was on to the charity auction. A whopping £9,810 was raised for St George’s Crypt and The Prince’s Trust. We were so grateful for the donated prizes, which included stays at Roomzzz Aparthotels in London and Manchester, some of the finest match day experiences in Leeds at Elland Road and Emerald Headingley, and a Microsoft Surface Pro which caused quite a stir (Paul from Broadley you know what we mean!). Many thanks to all of our generous bidders and donors.

We hope you’ll think about supporting The Prince’s Trust and St George’s Crypt again in the future, and we look forward to seeing you all next year!