Raising funds and dementia awareness through a golf league

I play for the Royal Belfast Golf Club in the Belfast and District Veterans’ League, which is open to men over 60 who are not in full-time employment. 

There are 14 clubs in the league, so you play 13 matches home and away from March to September. Each team consists of 12 players, playing in six pairs. 

Basically, it’s getting a lot of us veterans out and playing courses you don’t usually play.

There’s a shield for the winning club, but no one takes it too seriously. It’s really just about camaraderie. People are just out to enjoy themselves, keep their minds active and meet other people.

Particularly relevant 

We don’t charge each other green fees – which you usually pay to play a course – and instead donate the money to a chosen charity. We’ve been doing that since the ’90s and must have raised about a quarter of a million over the years. 

This year, it was our club’s turn to choose the charity, so I and our other convener, Jonathan, decided on Alzheimer’s Society. 

The average age of our veteran players is 75, and we all have friends who have dementia, so Alzheimer’s Society felt particularly relevant. We’re all very conscious of dementia – my father also had it in the last few years of his life. 

Jenay McCartan, a Community Fundraiser at the Society who has always been very helpful, gave a talk to each of the clubs, to explain what the Society does. I was very impressed with the services provided in Northern Ireland. 

After a diagnosis, I think it’s well worth talking to the Society initially, as they can help people with dementia and the family in the early stages, and provide some options going forward.

Delighted to donate 

At the end of the season there was a prizegiving luncheon, where we presented a cheque for around £16,000 to Jenay, which we were chuffed about. 

It’s a very worthwhile charity and we were delighted to donate to that sort of level.

I’m hoping the money will help the Society, including by supporting the volunteers in Northern Ireland who keep in touch with people over the phone. 

I hope we’ve heightened awareness of the services provided by Alzheimer’s Society, which our veterans may need in future. There’s a real service from the Society, but we’re not all necessarily aware, until dementia is closer to home. 

Doing this has certainly increased my knowledge of the services, and I think we’re all a bit more au fait now. 

My basic belief is that if you have a loved one or friend with dementia, talk to Alzheimer’s Society.