Golf Club raises impressive funds for MRF

Queen's Park golf club in Bournemouth has proudly raised over £1,600 for Meningitis Research Foundation (MRF) and presented a cheque for that amount to the charity at an evening event held at the golf club on Tuesday.

The golf club’s Captain, Tim Hartey, explained, “We chose MRF to be the club’s charity of the year after my daughter’s friend Connie Moore very sadly passed away from meningitis when she was 16 in 2014. We’ve been raising money for the charity through a number of fundraising events during my captaincy at the golf club. We’re all agreed it’s a worthy cause that needs all the funding it can get to defeat this dreadful disease. I’m particularly grateful to Bob Woods who helped me enormously all year.”

Nicky McClure and her daughters Megan and Mia are regional Ambassadors for MRF in Dorset, and accepted the cheque on behalf of the charity.

Rob Dawson, Head of Support at MRF, said, “We’re grateful to Tim and everyone at the golf club. The funds they have all worked so hard to raise will be used to support MRF's lifesaving research into the prevention, detection and early treatment of meningitis. It will also allow us to continue raising awareness of the disease and supporting those affected.” 

MRF estimates that there have been on average around 3,200 cases of meningitis and septicaemia every year in the UK. They are deadly diseases that can strike without warning, killing one in ten, and leaving a quarter of survivors with life altering after-effects ranging from deafness and brain damage to loss of limbs.

Early symptoms are usually fever, vomiting, headache and feeling unwell. Limb pain, pale skin, and cold hands and feet often appear earlier than the rash, neck stiffness, dislike of bright lights and confusion. The symptoms can be similar to flu but become rapidly worse.