Hope raised money as part of degree course

Hope Neild raised money for the England Golf Trust as part of her academic studies

Hope Neild raises money as part of degree course

Hope, who is originally from Norwich, has over the years benefited from the Trust by receiving grants and a bursary to help her progress her golf career. She explains why she chose to raise money for the Trust and how she did it…

I studied Applied Golf Management Studies at the University of Birmingham which covers the business side of golf, coaching, equipment and how to run events. I took my PGA qualifications alongside my degree, and I am now a Level 2 coach. I have since graduated with a 1st class degree.

One module on the course was about managing golf events. We had to work in teams to plan, organise, advertise, and run our own golf event. My five-strong team chose to raise money for the England Golf Trust. Our event was a a skills challenge at Edgbaston golf club where members could win prizes including a 4ball at Close House. The day went well, and our team raised £390 for the Trust.

We chose to raise money for the trust because we wanted to put something back into golf and to support junior golfers. On the day of our event, we had a crazy golf challenge, longest drive challenge with a simulator and a chipping challenge. Members of Edgbaston came to support along with EGT Trustees and even some members of the public.

I learnt a lot from working in a team to planning for the day. A key takeaway was working out the best way to communicate with the venue and several sponsors to agree a prize. This enabled us to keep costs low and make a profit for the charity.

We also worked out that we needed to use each team member’s skills to our advantage. We delegated a task each based on our skill set, from handling finances to leading the team.

I would advise anyone running a charity to contact companies and ask if they could provide any prizes or sponsorship for your event. This helps to keep the initial budget low to maximise profits for the charity. Lots of companies are willing to support good causes.