Last week, suppliers and retailers from the garden retail industry came together for a day of fun, team building and networking at the GIMA Charity Golf & Activity Day, raising much needed funds for Greenfingers and St.Richard’s Hospice.
The 2017 event marked the first time that Kwik Cricket and the Laser Clay Shooting Challenge were added to the mix, opening the event up for more industry colleagues to get out from behind their desks for a day of team building and fun.
In total 17 teams entered the annual golf competition, and another two completed the rivalry over on the Kwik Cricket and Shooting pitches.
On the golf course, the biggest prize on the day was over the 18 holes. It was a fiercely fought competition but it was the team from Grange Fencing who retained their winner’s title, taking home the trophy for the second year running. Coming up a close second was Smart Garden’s A-team, with the Mr Fothergills team following behind in third position.
As always, the golfers had not just their handicap to beat, but a number of other prizes up were for grabs keeping the competitive juices flowing. The winners of all the prizes from the golf course included Steve Harper, James Mitchell, James Parr, Steve Ainscough, Simon Neat, Jerry Walker, Phil Swainston and Raoul Curtis Machin, who all successfully beat the pro. Each of these lucky winners took home a voucher for a ‘four-ball’ at Telford Golf and Country Club.
There were also several spot prizes available, the winners of each receiving a bottle of champagne and sleeve of golf balls. The winners were:
- Nearest Pin 3rd Hole – Pete Bunker
- Nearest Pin 11th Hole – Chris Owen
- Nearest Pin 16th Hole – Andy Bestwick
- Nearest Pin in 2, 8th Hole – James Mitchell
- Longest Drive 14th Hole – Dave Kearsley
- Straightest Drive 18th Hole – Derek Bunker
The competition was equally fierce over on the Kwik Cricket and Shooting pitches in Lilleshall, the cricket club of Colin Wetherley Mein of Vitax. The first time these events have been added to the roster, participants were unsure to begin with but quickly discovered their talents for both the cricket and laser shooting. Like the golf, these events also included a sense of friendly competition with Andrew Peers winning the shooting challenge, and a team made up of colleagues from Cadix, Kelkay, Glee, Bathgate and PetQuip winning the overall challenge.
Aside from the fun, there was also a serious element to the day, and that was to raise funds for two most deserving charities – Greenfingers and St Richard’s Hospice, the latter being selected as GIMA’s 2017 charity by GIMA president, Chris Ramsden. The total fund raised will be revealed at the GIMA Awards on July 13th, Celtic Manor.
Talking about the Golf & Activity Day, Vicky Nuttall, GIMA Director said: “What another fantastic event. The weather may have been a tad unpredictable but nothing we aren’t all used to! It was so great to see so many retailers and suppliers coming together for a day of networking, friendly competition and fun. I’m sure Greenfingers and St Richard’s Hospice are going to be overjoyed by the endless generosity of all those that attended.
“Our thanks go to everyone who attended, as well as all the staff at the Telford Hotel & Golf Resort, and Lilleshall Cricket Club. Here’s to next year!”
A full gallery from the day can be found at www.gima.org.uk
The GIMA Golf Day results
Points Company
1st. 89 Grange Fencing
2nd 87 Smart Garden A
3rd 82 Mr Fothergill’s Seeds
4th 82 Growise B
5th 81 Woodlodge
6th 78 Westland
7th 78 GIMA
8th 78 Zest 4 Leisure
9th 77 Vitax
10th 76 Growise A
11th 75 The HTA
12th 73 Cadix
13th 69 Forest Garden
14th 64 Gardman
15th 58 Ascential Events
16th 57 Smart Garden B
17th 40 Bathgate Silica
For further information on this press release please contact:
GIMA Press Office: 01959 564947 or info@gima.org.uk