BGC 2025 Charity
Dear members,
As you all know, the Captain of Billingham Golf Club has the opportunity to choose a charity to raise funds for. Sounds quite straightforward doesn’t it, until you actually start looking for one to support! There are so many worthy causes out there that almost from being asked to be Vice-Captain by Robbie my head began to spin. I picked a charity then another sprung to the forefront. The cycle repeated itself on numerous occasions. Eventually I decided upon PROSTATE CANCER UK.
About prostate cancer
1 in 8 men in the UK will be diagnosed with the disease in their lifetime.
Prostate cancer can develop when cells in the prostate start to grow in an uncontrolled way. Some prostate cancer grows too slowly to cause any problems. But some men have prostate cancer that is more likely to spread and needs treatment.
Around 475,000 men in the UK are living with or after prostate cancer, it’s the most common cancer in men.
More than 52,000 men are diagnosed with prostate cancer every year on average – that's 143 men every day. Who is at risk? Most men with early prostate cancer don’t have any symptoms. That’s why it’s important to be aware of the risk factors too.
These are:
Getting older – prostate cancer mainly affects men aged 50 or over.
Having a family history of prostate cancer - you are two and a half times more likely to get prostate cancer if your father or brother has had it, compared to a man who has no relatives with prostate cancer.
Being black - black men are more likely to get prostate cancer than other men. In the UK about 1 in 4 black men will get diagnosed with prostate cancer in their lifetime.
You can learn more about your risk and what you can do about it by taking Prostate Cancer UK risk checker at https://prostatecanceruk.org/risk-checker
Although most men with early prostate cancer don’t have any symptoms, some may experience changes in the way they urinate. These can be mild and happen over many years and may be a sign of a benign prostate problem, rather than prostate cancer. But it’s still a good idea to get it checked out. If you have any of these risk factors or if you have any symptoms, speak to your GP. They can talk to you about your risk, and about the tests that are used to diagnose prostate cancer. Get help - anyone with concerns about prostate cancer or prostate problems can call a Prostate Cancer UK Specialist Nurse on 0800 074 8383 or visit https://prostatecanceruk.org/
I urge all our male members to be vigilant with regards to this evil disease and take the opportunities to get checked. Follow the instructions on the posters and leaflets I have placed around the clubhouse. I also ask all our lady members to ‘nag’ your male partners and relatives to keep vigilant. As with all cancers and diseases this one affects not only the sufferer but family and friends too.
Glen Brocklesby
BGC Club Captain 2025/26
Robbie Thwaites, our Club Captain, has chosen AUTISM PARENTS TOGETHER (TEES VALLEY) as his charity for 2024.
The charity provides support to children and young people aged 0-18, either diagnosed with or undergoing assessment for Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD). They also support parents, carers and siblings.
The main goal of the charity is to reduce the social isolation of autistic children, young people and their families. They create exclusive parent/carer lead events and activities for children and young people. They also arrange separate events and activities, including training for parents and carers. All events, activities and training are subsidised to ensure they are assessible for all families.
A donation bucket has been placed on the bar near the conservatory entrance in the Club's Bar 19.
With your help we can make a difference!
Jimmy presenting the cheque to Bev Burton, Finance Trustee, accompanied by Robbie Thwaites
A very proud day for Billingham Golf Club Gent's Captain Jimmy Collins as he handed over a cheque for £5,250 to Bev Burton, Finance Trustee at Billingham Foodbank. This amazing amount of money has been donated by members and visitors at the golf club throughout 2023 to the charity which Jimmy and his family have supported for many years.
The Foodbank has three local centres; Billingham, Norton and Stockton and is run by over 90 volunteers. It feeds those in crisis and operates on a referral system by agencies such as Citizens Advice, Job Centres, Social Services, NHS, schools and many more. They provide three days' nutritionally balanced emergency food and support to local people. As well as food parcels at this time of year the charity also provide Christmas hampers and presents to children.
You will find donation bins in most local supermarkets. Stocks of long-life milk, fruit cordial, rice pudding, custard, tinned meat and fish are very low at the Billingham branch so please buy a bit extra next time you do your weekly shop and help local families who are struggling.
A massive thank you goes out to the generosity of BGC members on behalf of the Billingham and Stockton Borough Foodbank.
A message from the Club Captain James R Collins:
My chosen charity is Billingham & Stockton Borough Council Foodbank. They are part of the Trussell Trust who provide their infrastructure, legal guidance and management support.
Myself and my family have supported this charity for many years, and I now have the opportunity, in my role as Club Captain, during the extremely challenging times for everyone, to be able to donate any funds raised from my term as Club Captain.
The foodbank was established as an independent charity on 1st April 2018 and has been a foodbank in Billingham since 2012.
The foodbank feeds those in crisis and operates on a referral system with over 200 agencies registered with them, these include Citizens Advice, Job Centre, Social Services, Doctors, Schools & many more. They provide three day's nutritionally balanced emergency food and support to local people. They have a small stock of clothing and household items which can also be issued on a referral system.
They do not receive central funding and rely on public giving, grants and fund raising and are very grateful to their community for their generosity.