A group of golf enthusiasts gathered together in support of Caudwell Children and Varity Golf to compete in a golf tournament hosted by Lady Forsyth at The Shire London, the only course in the UK designed by legendary professional Spanish golfer, Seve Ballesteros.
The event sponsored by Neil Bookatz, and Mitchell and Joe Sydee raised a life-changing £17,390 which will be split across the two charities, both of which Lady Forsyth is an ambassador for.
During the event Lady Forsyth said “It is such a pleasure to bring such a wonderful group of people together to support two charities that were very close to my husband’s heart. The money raised today will help children in the most important way and I’m grateful to all of you for your support.”
This year marks Caudwell Children’s 5th Anniversary of the award-winning Caudwell International Children’s Centre which opened its doors to the public back in May 2019. Over the last few years, the charity has completed 1,336 Autism Assessments, helped 1,272 families with workshops and provided 2,608 Short Breaks places, giving children an opportunity to learn, have fun and make friends in a safe environment, while providing parents and carers vital short respite.
The majority of Variety Golf’s fundraising goes towards Sunshine Coaches, giving children the chance to visit places that most of us take for granted. To date, Variety Golf has put over 1,200 coaches on the road.
Five teams took part in the event, which begun with a “Shotgun Start” where all competitors in the tournament started at the same time at different holes around the course. Teams included businesses Invertay Homes Ltd founded by Eddie Wighton, Williams Environmental, lead by CEO Jason Whitmore, Exceptional Care and Think Tank Academy founded by Gillian Ashcroft and Insight construction Consulting Ltd founded by Daniel Wall. Avnish and Anita Goyal, who are members of John Caudwell’s Life-Changers Circle, gifted their place to Ravi Bhanot and his team. Owen Johnson, a previous Caudwell Children beneficiary also made an appearance on the green.
Scottish Professional Golfer and 3-time European Tour Winner Carly Booth, joined Team InverTay homes.
Eddie Wighton said “I had a fantastic charity golf day at the inaugural Lady Forsyth Invitational and Team InverTay were delighted to take part. The weather was beautiful, a challenging course and lots of fun and laughter, plus funds were being raised in aid of two amazing charities, Caudwell Children and Variety Golf.”
After a day on the green, all five teams enjoyed a drinks reception followed by a dinner hosted by Lady Forsyth. During dinner, guests were entertained by former X Factor singer James H Williams and world-famous magician, David Redfearn before taking part in a live auction hosted by comedian and auctioneer Aaron James. Lots included a luxury weekend in Paris, including transportation, accommodation and Moulin Rouge show tickets with dinner for two, a Private Chef and Service Dinner for 6 Guests by Host Hospitality which will be hosted in the winners’ own home and a case of Chateauneuf Du Pape Wine in Magnum Rare Wooden Case of 6 which was donated by Laurent Brechet.
Every penny raised at the event will go directly towards changing the lives of children and young people.
