Golfers' heroics raises £400 for Macmillan

Mark Ruthven, Brian Parsons, Kyle Parsons and Tim Mounfield on the Denton Golf Club course

Four Oldham golfers teed off in a dusk-to-dawn challenge in aid of Macmillan Cancer Support.

Denton Golf Club hosted the team of four as they took on the Longest Day Golf Challenge, a race against the clock to complete four rounds of golf in one day.

The task saw Mark Ruthven, Brian Parsons, Kyle Parsons and Tim Mounfield on the course from sunrise to sunset, walking around 20 miles as they played 72 holes.

Beginning at 5:50am, the men played until 8:30pm in wet weather with some sunny spells.

Macmillan are a charity devoted to supporting those who suffer with cancer from diagnosis, through treatment and beyond.

Their professionals, supporters, volunteers and campaigners all understand cancer's ability to affect every aspect of an individual's life and help people to feel like themselves through the difficult process.

With someone being diagnosed with cancer every two minutes in the UK, Macmillan’s services are invaluable to many.

For Mark, the importance of the charity hits close to home.

He said: “We all have a member of our families who have been affected by cancer so we want to give something back.”

The team played on behalf of The Fairway Inn in partnership with landlord Mark Sweetland who has also been fundraising through raffles and sponsorships.

They gathered support on social media and have raised a grand total of £400 – that’s enough to keep 200 Macmillan support centres stocked with all the necessary information booklets and leaflets for 12 hours, or to buy microwaves for eight cancer patients to help them prepare their meals.

Mark added: “I would like to thank all the team, Mark Sweetland the Landlord at the Fairway Inn and, of course, Denton Golf Club.”

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.