EDF Energy Golf Day smashes £100,000 barrier for hospice

Staff at a local hospice are celebrating after a golfing day raised close to £20,000 and bring the fundraising total for the annual events to £116,000.

Organised by EDF Energy and held at the Elfordleigh golf club, this year more than 80 golfers took part. A cheque for £19,500 was presented to Lorna Baker at St Luke's Hospice by EDF Energy employees Andy Lloyd and Kelvin Wing.

Andy, 56, has been organising the golf day, now in its eighth year, since it started in 2005 in honour of Chris White, a friend and colleague who spent his last days at the hospice in Plymouth.

He said: “It’s an honour to be behind such a phenomenal amount raised for the hospice, where my friend Chris was cared for so well during his illness.

“In the first year we raised £4,000, and by the seventh over £96,000. This year we took the total to £116,000 which is a great milestone for us. EDF Energy have been really supportive in allowing me to organise these events and allowing me time off through the company Helping Hands volunteering scheme.”

Andy, who lives in Plymouth, was an Olympic Torchbearer and carried the flame through Saltash in May. He was nominated by friends and colleagues at the energy company for his dedication and enthusiastic attitude in helping to inspire people to support the fundraising event.

Players travel from around the country to take part or support the event, including from Accenture, Microsoft and IBM.

Josie Burke, Senior Fundraising Manager for St Luke's Hospice said: "Andy and the team at EDF Energy have done a fantastic job in supporting St Luke's over the years and we're really grateful for the support and donations received. St Luke's Hospice costs over £6million a year to run, that’s about £16,000 a day, and so it is thanks to support of people and companies such as Andy and EDF Energy that we are able to continue the work we do in caring for over 3,200 terminally ill people each year from Plymouth, South West Devon and East Cornwall."

Andy works as a mainframe manager for EDF Energy and is retiring this month after nearly 40 years at the energy company. He will continue to organise the charity day and has already started to prepare for next year’s event, on May 23, 2013, at the Elfordleigh club.