More than 60 golfers attended the second annual Red Trouser Golf Charity Day held at Westerham Golf Club in Kent on September 12, which succeeded in raising £5,000 for clinical research into bowel cancer at The Royal Marsden Hospital in London.
The golf day and evening dinner was organised by the Red Trouser Day charity, which is campaigning to raise awareness of the disease and has raised over £110,000 in just three years for clinical research and support for patients.
Players enjoyed a team Stableford competition, with the added tension of a red ball played on the par three holes, the loss of which deprived the team of double the par-three scores. The Tigers team, led by Mike Flyn, won the championship for a second year, collecting prizes generously provided by OneGolfClub.
Golfers, many of whom are bowel cancer survivors, travelled from near and far to take part in the event, with two journeying from Wales and Germany to support the fund-raising efforts.
The event’s after-dinner speaker Dr Irene Chong, consultant clinical oncologist and clinician scientist at The Royal Marsden NHS Foundation Trust, spoke of the need for individuals to be aware of bowel cancer symptoms to ensure early diagnosis and of the drug and scientific development taking place to improve bowel cancer patient outcomes.
Event organiser Geoff Morris said: “We had a fantastic day and the competition was again fierce. Although bowel cancer is the UK’s fourth biggest killer, with 40,000 new cases reported annually, survival is becoming achievable with the world-leading research by centres of excellence such as Royal Marsden Hospital. Golf improves mobility and raises fitness levels and gives the mind an alternative relaxing focus to treatment programs during recovery.”