A successful day and night of fundraising was had by all attending the 2018 GIMA Charity Golf and Activity Day, held at Telford Hotel and Golf Resort on 7th June.
The event brought together garden industry suppliers and retailers; twenty foursomes competing for the GIMA Golf trophy and two teams of 7 battling it out in archery, laser clay pigeon shooting and kwik cricket competitions.
The evening event, hosted by golf day organiser Andy Bestwick, brought all attendees together under one roof, with a three course meal and after dinner entertainment from comedian, magician, hypnotist and mentalist ‘Billy Flywheel’, kindly sponsored by Grange Fencing.
Other sponsors included Bestwick Associates, Bord Na Mona, British Garden Centres, Cadix, Eden Horticulture, Hozelock, Fiskars, Garden Trade News, Gardman, Hornby Whitefoot PR, HTA, Kew Green Hotels, Outback, Q Hotels, Stihl, Westland, Woodlodge, Vitax and Zest 4 Leisure.
GIMA Director Vicky Nuttall said she was particularly grateful to sponsors this year: “The raffle and auction prizes were even more generous this time around, and had an immediate impact helping to raise a large amount of cash on the night – which we will announce at the GIMA Awards on the 12th July.”
GIMA’s annual Charity Golf and Activity day this year benefitted Greenfingers Charity (www.greenfingerscharity.org.uk) and Acorns Hospice (www.acorns.org.uk).
Linda Petrons, Head of Fundraising and Communications at Greenfingers Charity said: “On behalf of everyone at Greenfingers Charity, thank you GIMA for another fabulous charity event. Your generosity throughout the day and into the evening is hugely appreciated by us all but more importantly the hundreds of children and families we support.”
Results
Activity Day (Archery, laser clay pigeon shoot, kwik cricket)
Chris Ramsden’s team A won with a grand total of 247 points from all three events, beating Team B (led by current GIMA President Richard Pyrah) who scored 232.
Individual awards were handed to participants of the new event for 2018 – archery. Andrew Peers took the top honours, followed by Neil Simms in second and Mike Cook in third.
Golf
Hartman were crowned 2018 Golf Day champions with 85 points. They were followed by Woodlodge in second with a score of 84 and the GIMA team in third with 80. The booby prize was presented to Bathgate for their total of 36.
Beat the pro
Hole 7 was home to the ‘beat the pro’ competition whereby teams donated a minimum of £5 per player to place their ball closer to the pin than the hotel’s resident professional. The winners were Anthony Barrett, Phil Hards, Robert Stubbs, Stuart Miller, Paul Facey, Alwyn Williams, Phil Burgoyne, Nigel Wallis, Jai Bunker, Phil Swainston, Keith Laird, Tony Dedman, Jamie Cobb, Phil Hodges. Some video footage from the beat the pro competition was captured by Hornby Whitefoot PR from its sponsored drinks station and is available to view here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=69jMr8_yD28
Other nearest the pin challenges took place on the following holes; 11th (won by Paul Handier), 16th (Chris Owen), 8th (James Mitchell). James Mitchell also took home the prize for the longest drive on the 14th hole. The player with the longest drive on the 18th was Paul Whitehead, and the longest ladies drive was won by Alison Novell.
Images from the event are available for all to view from photographer Steve Burden’s website, just type in the code GIMAGOLF18: http://www.sburdenphoto.co.uk
Upcoming GIMA events
GIMA Awards Gala Dinner at Celtic Manor, Newport – 12th July http://gima.org.uk/gima-awards/
For further information please contact the GIMA Press Office on (01959) 564947 or info@gima.org.uk
About GIMA
The Garden Industry Manufacturer’s Association (GIMA) is a membership organisation of around 150 members representing the majority share of suppliers and manufacturers operating within the UK gardening industry.
Formed in 1999, its goal is to promote the commercial, trading and industrial interests of UK and EU based companies supplying the UK garden industry.
Run by a small team of dedicated professionals, and governed by a council of members, GIMA is funded by membership subscriptions and services.
The range of services and support provided for members is extensive, offering something for all members, regardless of their size or heritage