Golf tournament in memory of Nigel nets nearly £1,000!

A charity golf tournament organised in memory of a well-respected colleague has raised nearly £1,000 to support the specialised care of St Catherine’s Hospice, with more expected to come in.

Iain Melling organised the event at Chorley Golf Club in memory of his friend Nigel Lloyd, who died at St Catherine’s last December following a battle with cancer.

An amazing 50 people, including colleagues from Wymott Prison – where Nigel worked as a prison officer, joined in the fun. The extra special claret jug winner’s trophy – chosen because of Nigel’s love of red wine – was awarded to G Parker.

Playing in either a morning or afternoon session, they covered 18 holes and also organised extra challenges like longest drive – won by Mark Weaver – ‘closest to the pin’ – won by Wes Nuttall – and ‘hole in two’ which was shared between four players.

Iain, from Wigan, said: “Nigel loved his golf – in fact it was him who first got me interested in it.

“Organising an event like this seemed like the obvious thing to do in his honour, whilst raising some funds for a local charity which does such important work and was there for him and his family.

“We were delighted with the turn out, especially given the rainy weather, and are extremely grateful for all the extra effort and thought that went into it. There was a St Catherine’s cake, baked by Julie Dixon, and bonus prizes donated by American Golf in Horwich, as well as a bottle of whisky sent all the way from Nigel’s best man Derek Bailey who lives in Australia. We’d also like to say a big thank you to Chorley Golf Club for all their hard work on the day.”

It is hoped that the tournament will now become an annual competition, with the trophy passed on each year.

Nigel’s widow Jayne, who was there with their daughter Anna, 14, and son Daniel, 19, thanked everyone involved in the special day.

Jayne, from Chorley, said: “St Catherine’s is a wonderful place where everyone was so lovely and looked after us so well. We’re very happy that this event in Nigel’s memory has raised funds to support their work.

“It was extremely touching seeing so many people turn out to play – he loved his job and his colleagues and it means such a lot to see the effort they all put in. Iain did an amazing job organising it and we’re very grateful to everyone who helped make it such a success.”

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