Brighton friends Lee Middleton and Shane Dilloway-Thompson will be undertaking an impressive challenge: to raise money for special care babies. On Friday 21st June they will play 72 holes of golf at East Brighton Golf Club, starting at 5.30 am and finishing by 8.30 pm. "It is the equivalent of walking a marathon before even swinging a club" said Lee who has also set the rule of no buggies!
Both have chosen to support New Life Special Care Babies, a charity that raises money to buy specialist neonatal equipment for hospitals across the South of England. Lee explains that his original motivation to help the charity came from knowing Trevor Goodall, the CEO and Founder through family and friends and hearing his story.
Over its 27 years, New Life has supported numerous hospitals across the South of England with its first being The Great Western in Swindon where the CEO’s twin boys Joshua and Samuel were born at 24 weeks in 1995 but sadly died a week later.
" I have been supporting New Life now for around 10 years" explains Lee. "I think the first event I attended was the charity ball which was a great evening and has been replicated annually since then.”
Both Lee and Shane are keen golfers and thought a 72-hole challenge would be the ultimate test for them! They have been practising hard completing around 27 holes in one day to date. "72 holes is going to be a huge challenge for us," says Lee. "But knowing we are raising lots of money for specialist neonatal equipment will be a great motivator. There is such a lack of funding in this area so any difference we can make to support Trevor and his amazing work each year is worth it. His story is very sad, and I would like to help as many families as possible of premature babies in the future. My network of friends and family have been very generous in supporting me in other challenges for New Life including a triathlon in 2023."
Lee works for Picture More Recruitment which has chosen to raise funds for New Life in 2024 and plans to raise a minimum of £1000 by the end of the year through bake sales, charity walks and other social events. A Justgiving link has been set up for anyone who would like to support Lee and Shane. Visit justgiving.com/campaign/72holesoneday.
