Members of both Houses of Parliament have come together to create an All-Party Group to support the sport of golf and announced the date of its first meeting of 2016.
All-Party Groups comprise Members of both Houses and all political parties who support specific interests. In the case of the Golf Group, Members have decided on the deliberately broad but simple remit “to support the game of golf”.
The Group’s first meeting of next year is to be held on the evening of Tuesday 19 January 2016 in the Houses of Parliament.
As well as Lords and MPs, the Group welcomes non-Parliamentarians as Associate Members, and invites organisations, clubs, and individuals to join the Group and attend meetings and provide their thoughts on various issues and any regulation that impacts on the sport.
To coincide with the launch of the Group, the website www.parliamentary.golf has been created and anyone interested in becoming an Associate Member can join by visiting the relevant page or can sign up to the Group’s news announcements. The Group has also created the twitter account @ParliamentGolf
The Group’s Chairman is Lincoln’s MP Karl McCartney. Announcing the creation of the Group, he said “I am delighted to be a part of this new Group. Golf is a sport enjoyed by everyone, and many of them are my constituents, but there is more that can be done to ensure the opportunities to play are there and barriers to being involved are removed. I am very much looking forward to welcoming Members of all parties into the Group and holding our first meeting in the New Year on January 19th.”
Stephen Gethins, MP for North East Fife – home of The R&A – is Vice-Chairman of the Group. He welcomed the creation of the Group as a vehicle for economic development as well as sport participation. He said “Golf is incredibly important to the economy in North East Fife and elsewhere. It is also a fantastic way for people to be active, keep fit and play competitive and recreational sport. We have a great professional game in the United Kingdom, and it is important that we recognise the local benefits major tournaments can bring and ensure that those benefits are passed on to all in the game.”
All Party Parliamentary Golf Group www.parliamentary.golf