Charity Golf Classic
Celebrities and teams headed to Parque da Floresta in Portugal on the 9th July 2009 to
participate in the annual event, now renamed the Charity Golf Classic (was David Seaman
Safehands) and was broadcast on Sky Sports.
It was held in aid of the Paul Southgate Research Fund, the fund established in memory of
Paul, a former president of golf club, who sadly passed away in June 2008. The charity is
dedicated to raising vital funds for research into head and neck cancer and cancers
affecting children and young adults. These are cancer types that are significantly
underfunded and poorly studied compared to other cancers.
The prestigious golf event held at one of Portugal's finest golf courses, allowed players
to raise essential funds for charity. Golf enthusiasts socialised and played alongside
celebrities from the world of sport and entertainment in the four day programme and
two-day golf competition. It took place from Thursday 9th to Sunday 12th July and consisted
of 20 teams of three players with each team being joined by a different celebrity each day.
Celebrities included actor and funny man Bradley Walsh, fellow Law & Order: UK star Jamie
Bamber, TV presenter Ben Shephard, ex footballer and TV presenter Bob Wilson OBE, actor
Johnny Briggs MBE, ex footballer Steve Bull MBE, Rugby World Cup winners Jason Leonard MBE
and Kyran Bracken MBE and singer Gareth Gates, to name but a few.
The Charity Golf Classic follows in the footsteps of the Safe Hands Charity Golf Classic,
organised by Debbie Seaman, and provides much needed funds to support various charities.
Previous recipients have been the NSPCC, the Willow Foundation, the Bobby Moore Fund for
Cancer Research UK, the Rhys Daniels Trust and the Cystic Fibrosis Trust. Funds for these
charities have totalled in excess of £900,000!
2009 was the first year that the Charity Golf Classic supported the Paul Southgate Research
Fund, which raises money for critical research at University College London (UCL). 5000
people in the UK each year are diagnosed with head and neck cancers which accounts for
approximately 5% of all cancers diagnosed. Only 50% of patients survive for 5 years.
Unfortunately the survival rate has not significantly increased in over a decade. This is
why more money for research at UCL's cancer initiative is so desperately needed. Funds
raised were used to characterise genetic abnormalities, to study the genetic basis of head
and neck cancers and to identify potential novel drug targets in cancers affecting children
and young adults.
