Men’s Captain’s Year of Fundraising Exceeds Expectations in Support of Suicide Prevention Charity

We are delighted to recognise an incredible fundraising achievement by our men’s captain, Mark Stevens, whose efforts this year have generated a significant sum for an important mental health charity.

At the recent AGM, Mark handed over a cheque for £13,771.77 to Papyrus, the UK charity focused on preventing young suicide. These funds will play a vital role in supporting HOPELINE, the charity’s 24/7 crisis service, which has been under increasing financial pressure.

On taking up the captaincy, Mark set himself an ambitious target of raising £10,000. He chose to support Papyrus after witnessing the support the charity provided to a close friend’s family following the tragic loss of their 21-year-old son, and he was determined to give back.

Reflecting on the year, Mark said:

“If you give £10,000 to a big charity it’s a little amount to them but, to these people, it’s a huge amount and they helped my friend and his family a lot so that’s why I chose them. I set myself a target of £10,000, that was my minimum that I wanted to get to. When we reached that in September, which is the end of the main season, I was thinking, ‘how much more can I push?’ When we hit £13,000 it was unbelievable. We had a great year and I had loads of support from some great people. The weather mostly was fantastic, so it was a great year for golf and helped getting people out on the course and donating to play.”

Mark’s efforts were warmly acknowledged at the AGM with Papyrus volunteer, Nicola Astles-Jones, expressing her appreciation, saying:

“I am absolutely flabbergasted by the amount raised. I don’t think what I say could ever thank all of you enough for what you’ve done. You have done so much over the last 12 months, and your money makes so much difference to young people in this country.”

She also highlighted how donations like ours support not only immediate crisis intervention but also ongoing safety planning and bereavement services for families.

Mark, a member of Badgemore Park for nearly 30 years, will have one final opportunity to add to the total. His traditional “putt-out” is scheduled for January 17^th, and if he sinks it, the club have pledged an additional contribution — potentially pushing the final amount raised beyond £14,000.