As Jamie Rutherford walked away from Slaley Hall Hotel, Spa and Golf Resort as deserving champion of an enthralling Matchroom Tour Championship in October, The QHotels Collection was also making a big impact behind the scenes with their charity focus.
Between The QHotels Collection Charity Challenge, and a pay-out for each birdie scored on the 15th hole through the week of the PGA EuroPro Tour event, a total of £5,000 was donated and split between Slaley Hall’s three selected charities.
The three that were chosen before the event were separate between local and national focusses, with money going to Macmillan Cancer Support, the Tyneside Kidney Patients Association and YoungMinds, a mental health charity for children and young adults.
The money started building on Tuesday before the competition golf had begun, as a number of celebrities took part in The QHotels Collection Charity Challenge – a nearest-the-pin contest from the terrace stairs onto the ninth green.
The competition featured members of the media, celebrities Jonathan Edwards, Phil Mustard and Steve Harmison, as well as professional players Mitch Waite, Rhys Thompson, and Adam Chapman, and led to an eventual £1,500 towards the total donation.
This was then topped up over the next three days with £100 being donated for every birdie on the 15th hole. The combination of Pro-Am and Tour players eventually managed 32 before wrapping up play on Friday afternoon, for a total of £3,200, although this was topped up generously by £300 by Slaley Hall to make a grand total of £5,000 of donated money.
Keith Pickard, The QHotels Collection golf, leisure and spa director, said: “We were of course delighted to host this event, and were thoroughly impressed by the players who took part in both the tournament and the Pro-Am, and we thank them for their accuracy especially on the 15th hole!
“The three charities that are included in the donation split do fantastic work on a daily basis and we are delighted to be able to support the difference that they continue to make to so many people’s lives.”