Blackmoor Golf Club Members Raise £28,181.51 for Charity

Blackmoor Golf Club members have raised an impressive £28,181.51 for two charities during the 2026 Captains’ year, with £17,116.51 donated to Midhurst Palliative Care which funds the Midhurst Macmillan Service and £11,065.00 donated to Arthritis UK.

The donations were formally presented at Blackmoor’s annual Captain’s Drive-In ceremony on Saturday, October 10, marking the end of the 2026 Captains’ year and the beginning of the new Captains’ tenure. The fundraising was led by the 2026 Immediate Past Captains - Jon Munday, Immediate Past Club Captain; Alison West, Immediate Past Ladies’ Captain; and Robert Stewart, Immediate Past Seniors’ Captain who organised a programme of events and activities throughout their respective terms of office. Midhurst Palliative Care was selected by Immediate Past Club Captain Jon Munday as his chosen charity.

The charity raises funds to enable the Midhurst Macmillan Service to provide community-based, consultant led specialist palliative care to patients across Hampshire, Surrey and West Sussex. Speaking about his year as Captain and the fundraising achieved, Jon said: “I would like to thank all our members for their fantastic support over the past 12 months. From the Drive In to the Putt-Out, it has been an honour and a real pleasure to serve as Captain of Blackmoor Golf Club. Blackmoor Golf Club Founded 1913 “We have enjoyed some great golf days while raising a tremendous amount for Midhurst Palliative Care, something I am very proud of.” Jon also undertook an additional fundraising initiative by collecting unwanted golf balls donated by Blackmoor members. More than 16,000 golf balls have been collected, cleaned and sold, with all proceeds going directly to the charity. “My brother and I average 55p per ball, which amounts to nearly £9,000. Once again, a huge thank you to all our members for their generous support.”

A cheque for £17,116.51 was presented to Dr. Alex MacCallum Chair of Trustees at Midhurst Palliative Care and Emma Harrison, Fundraising Manager. Alex said: “We were stunned and delighted to receive the cheque. The service looks after more people in Hampshire than Surrey and West Sussex, so it’s fantastic to receive support from the local area and thank you to members of Blackmoor. We know this doesn’t happen without imagination and support from everyone at the club.”

Immediate Past Ladies’ Captain Alison West selected Arthritis UK as her chosen charity after seeing the impact of both osteoarthritis and rheumatoid arthritis on her mother from a relatively young age. Arthritis UK is the largest dedicated charitable funder of arthritis research in the UK. The charity also provides support services for people living with arthritis, offers training for healthcare professionals and funds research into better treatments and, ultimately, cures.

Alison said: “Raising such a fantastic sum of money purely from the Ladies’ Section will always remain as one of the best things in my year as Ladies’ Captain. “My heartfelt thanks go to all the ladies of Blackmoor, and also everyone else who has helped, not least the team of cowboys selling golf shots for money at my Wild West Captain’s Day, and my family for donating quality wines to my many raffles and fundraising events throughout the year.”

A cheque for £11,065.00 was presented to Karlie Evans, Community Fundraising Manager at Arthritis UK. Karlie said: “We are incredibly grateful for the support Alison, and the club have shown for the past year. We know movement is incredibly beneficial for arthritis and MSK conditions, and we know that around 1 in 2 golfers will be affected. The money that’s been raised will help the 10 million people living in the UK with arthritis.”

During their year in office, the 2026 Captains organised a wide range of activities to encourage members to support their chosen charities. Fundraising initiatives included Captain’s raffles, dinners, coffee mornings, cake bakes and sweepstakes, nearly new clothing sales, golf-ball collections and several enjoyable golf days.

The fundraising programme brought members together throughout the year while raising a significant amount for two charities supporting people in the local community and beyond.

Following the AGM at Blackmoor Golf Club the previous evening, members gathered for the annual Captain’s Drive-In ceremony to welcome the newly elected Club Officers. Driving off the first tee, 2027 Club Captain Paul Berriman hit a 244-yard shot far right.

The distance was correctly guessed by Barrie Lock in the Drive-In sweepstake, which raised funds for The Honeypot Children's Charity, Blackmoor’s newly appointed Club Charity for 2027.

Paul was proceeded by 2027 Ladies’ Captain Jo Canning, whose 176-yard drive also finished to the right. Her distance was correctly guessed by Peter L. White. 2027 Seniors’ Captain John Smith and 2027 Junior Captain Zach Greenaway also took their turns on the first tee, completing the traditional ceremony.

Congratulations to all four 2027 Captains, and best wishes for a successful year ahead