Golf day raises more than £26,000 for Warwick-based children's charity

A golf day held in aid of a Warwick-based children’s charity has raised more than £26,000.

Seventeen teams from across England, Scotland and Wales took part despite the challenging weather to compete for golf titles including Beat the Pro, Longest Drive and Nearest the Pin.

The event, which was in aid of Molly Olly’s Wishes, took place at the Nottinghamshire Golf and Country Club and was followed by an evening auction and raffle of items donated by suppliers and supporters of the charity. It was jointly organised and sponsored by Nottingham companies Oakland International (which also has a site in Redditch) and Avanti Print and Packaging.

Molly Olly’s grants wishes, helps with emotional support and donates therapeutic toys and books to children directly and through hospitals across the UK.

It grants around 40 wishes per month, an increase of 100 per cent during lockdown, and at a time when funding has significantly reduced.

Charity co-founder Rachel Ollerenshaw said: “The golf day and auction were a huge success.

"We are extremely grateful to Jane, Lee, Paul and Holly at Oakland and Avanti for organising such a great day and helping to widen the reach of the charity with introductions to a new audience.

"All the golfers were very generous and big thanks to all the sponsors.

"Molly Olly’s has seen a sharp rise in the number of requests for support and the funds raised are much needed to enable us to fulfil those wishes which help to put a smile on poorly children’s faces.”

Oakland’s chief operating officer Lee Whiting added: “Molly Olly's Wishes is an amazing charity which supports so many ill children throughout the UK.

"We would like to thank everyone who joined us and supported this, our first ever joint event of this nature, which we are now going to make into an annual event, setting our fundraising target even higher next year.”

Like so many other charities Molly Olly’s Wishes has found it difficult to fundraise over the last year due to the pandemic.

An average wish costs around £500 and can range from a family day trip to a computer game to supermarket food vouchers.

To find out how to donate to Molly Olly’s Wishes, go to: https://www.mollyolly.co.uk/learn-about-donating/