Lancaster businesses join forces for Golf Day to help charity for disabled youngsters

Seventy golfers braved the weather for a day in aid of a Morecambe charity which helps young people with disabilities.

The second annual charity golf day organised by Pre-Law and 3-1-5 Health Club was held at Heysham Golf Club on Wednesday in support of Unique Kidz & Co.

Despite some challenging conditions on the course, the event was a fantastic success, bringing together businesses, supporters and keen golfers for a day of friendly competition while raising more than £1,300.

This is the second year that Pre-Law and 3-1-5 Health Club have joined forces to organise the golf day for Unique Kidz & Co, building on the success of last year's event and continuing their support for the charity and the young people that come to Unique Kidz.

The money raised will help Unique Kidz & Co continue to provide inclusive opportunities and experiences for children and young adults with disabilities, giving young people a safe and welcoming place to have fun, make friends, build confidence and be themselves.

“We’re extremely proud to have supported Unique Kidz & Co for a second year and to see so many businesses and representatives from across the North West come together for such a worthwhile cause," said Ben Anderson, co-founder of Pre-Law.

"The day was a great success, and I’d like to thank David Whitaker and Ollie Senelle from 3-1-5, Lisa, President of Heysham Golf Club, and everyone involved in making it possible. We’re delighted with the amount raised and are already looking forward to making next year’s event even bigger and better.”

Oliver from 3-1-5 Health Club said: ''It was truly inspiring to see so many local businesses come together, taking time out of their busy schedules to support such an amazing cause.

"Their generosity, enthusiasm and commitment were a wonderful reflection of the strong sense of community we have around us here in Lancaster & Morecambe.

"A huge thank you to Pre-Law and everyone who got involved and contributed. Their support helped make the event such a success and showed just how much we can achieve when we come together to support something that truly matters."

One team before teeing off (L-R Lewis Johnston, Ben Anderson, Isaac Appleton, Andy Hassall)

Chris Pilkington, Head of Fundraising at Unique Kidz & Co, explained what the money raised will mean for local families.

“For many of the families we support, services like ours can be a lifeline, and that is particularly true during the long summer holidays.

"Without the services Unique Kidz provides, some children and young people with disabilities could face a very isolating summer, with fewer opportunities to see friends, get out into the community or simply enjoy the experiences that many of us take for granted.

“Throughout the summer we've been able to give young people days filled with friendships, trips, activities, new experiences and plenty of fun, while giving parents and carers the reassurance that their child is somewhere they feel safe, welcome and understood. The £1,300 raised from this Golf Day will help us continue to make days like these possible.

“We're incredibly grateful to Ben and Jake at Pre-Law, David, Ollie and the team at 3-1-5 Health Club for choosing to support us for a second year, and to Heysham Golf Club for hosting the day. It takes a lot of work behind the scenes to put an event like this together and we're so thankful that they've chosen to do it for Unique Kidz & Co.”

The Golf Day forms part of the continued support Unique Kidz & Co receives from businesses and individuals across the local community, helping the charity provide inclusive clubs, activities, projects and opportunities for young people with disabilities and their families.

The charity was founded by two mums – Jane Halpin and Denise Armer - who couldn’t find suitable childcare for their own children with disabilities

It opened in 2009 with its first summer holiday club, where 65 young people attended – now the charity has around 200 young people with disabilities on their system and an ever-growing waiting list

Its services now include afterschool, holiday and weekend clubs for children aged 5-19 with disabilities (Kidz Club); daytime support for young adults aged 18-30 with disabilities (4Ever Unique); evening and weekend sessions for young adults aged 18-30 with disabilities; a stay and play group for children under five that runs twice a week during term time; and a siblings group for children over eight who have a sibling with disabilities which meets twice a month.

Unique Kidz employs 23 permanent members of staff and has a bank of casual staff who support them during the school holidays