Wet weather won't dampen warm-hearted Scroungers' spirit

The Scroungers Golf Society, who have most of their members in clubs in Oldham, Tameside and North Manchester, have raised hundreds of thousands of pounds the over the past 30 years to buy powered wheelchairs for young people with severe disabilities.

Chorlton Golf Club have been generous hosts of Scroungers Golf Days for many years and were looking forward to this year’s competition and presentation.

But very wet weather caused the course to be unfit for play.

Undeterred, the Scroungers were still able to go ahead with the presentation of their 204th Wheelchair as 22 members turned up for a light lunch followed by the wheelchair presentation to 18-year-old Blake Matthews.

Blake suffers from Cerebral Palsy and he is in foster care with Joy and John Selley, who have fostered him since 2012 - they also have two girls as well as Blake.

He is incapable of most functions and attends Bridge College, and his pleasure is day outings to Chester and Blackpool Zoo.

Former Saddleworth Golf Club Captain Syd Barton, the Scroungers' Charity Representative, said: “The chair we are providing is an electrical attendant control power wheelchair which is built and assembled in Sweden and Germany.”

Joy added: “The new chair will enable Blake to continue to access all the places he loves to visit such as Chester Zoo, Blackpool, parks and country walks etc.

"A steep hill won’t put us off anymore!

“We would like to give a huge thank you to the Scroungers and to Chorlton Golf club for providing not only Blake’s new chair, but many others over the years to disabled young people.

“We are overwhelmed with their generosity and the warm and hospitable afternoon we had.

"Blake was in his element and had smiles for everyone as if he understood what a special occasion it was.”

Meanwhile, out on the golf course, a Pro’s BB Stableford at Saddleworth needed a cpo on 50 to take Steve Asquith and Daz Neary into top spot from Barrie Lees and Graham Hirst, one more than Simon Halliwell and Nick Kerin.

Good scoring also in a Saddleworth BB Stableford Bottle competition with Lee Spratt and Pau Balck topping up their festive cellars as they led in with 50, from Will Cotton and Will Spratt 48 and Darren Smith and Terry Walsh 47.

It was also tight in another Pro’s Stableford with a cpo on 48 seeing Michael Taylor and Andrew Stott home from Ivan Green and Matthew Chapman.

A medal at Werneth produced a cliffhanger in division one as Ray Conboy won a cpo on 67 from Matthew Conway and Simon Tessler.

In division two, Paul Higgins led in with 63 from Shaukat Mahmood 64 and Paul Turner 65.

---

Do you have a story for us? Want to tell us about something going on in and around Oldham? Let us know by emailing news@oldham-chronicle.co.uk , calling our Oldham-based newsroom on 0161 633 2121 , tweeting us @oldhamchronicle or messaging us through our Facebook page. All contact will be treated in confidence.