The West Ham United Foundation is proud to celebrate the success of its annual Golf Day & Dinner fundraiser, held on Thursday 8 May at the stunning Stock Brook Manor Golf Club and generously supported by long-term partner Paragon.
Over 80 West Ham fans, corporate supporters and Club legends came together for a day of golf, camaraderie and giving back, raising more than £50,000 in support of the Foundation’s ongoing community initiatives across east London and beyond.
Guests enjoyed a rare chance to tee off alongside Hammers icons Kenny Brown, Stuart Slater, Brian Dear, John Moncur, Matt Jarvis, Marlon Harewood, James Collins and Tony Gale on an immaculate 18-hole course, all while backing the Foundation’s mission to improve lives through sport, education, inclusion and wellbeing.
Club Ambassador Marlon Harewood praised the occasion, saying: “Days like these are fantastic and I can’t speak highly enough of the people at the Foundation. They go above and beyond to help people, and I only think things will get better with the new Beckton Hub.”
Every penny raised helps support the WHU Foundation’s mission to inspire better futures across east London, Essex and beyond, through more than 35 community initiatives - tackling issues such as poverty, anti-social behaviour and employability challenges.
With excitement building around the redeveloped Beckton Community Hub, set to welcome the community in just a few weeks’ time, guests generously contributed to help maximise the impact the new facility will have.
Spirits were high as the day began under sunny skies, with supporters and former players sharing stories and tips over breakfast. Golfers then took to the tee simultaneously, and as they made their way around the course, competitive edges were flaring as they took the chance to test their skills in a ‘Nearest the Pin’ task and ‘Beat the Pro’ challenge against PGA professional Matt Cousens.
In the evening, the venue filled with more guests, as the fun continued with a three-course dinner, prize ceremony, charity raffle and auction hosted by West Ham legend Tony Gale. Reflecting on the day, Gale commented: “The money we’ve raised today is really important, and that’s why we’ve had so many people sign up, because they know it’s going back into the community to support great causes.”
Among the guests was Kevin Stanton, who signed up to the event after learning about the Foundation through the Club’s awareness fixture against Ipswich. He said: “I picked up a flyer back in October before the Ipswich game, and that’s when I became aware of the work the Foundation does. It’s been a fantastic day out, Marlon’s been great to have on our team, and I’ve really enjoyed being out on the course.”
Reflecting on the ongoing impact of their partnership with the Foundation, Paragon’s Chief Operations Officer Dave Phillips commented: “I think the reach of the Foundation is really important. The new Hub will have huge potential to make things better for a lot of people, and Paragon is committed in supporting that mission.”
Foundation CEO Joseph Lyons also spoke about the significance of the event within the wider context of the Foundation’s evolving work. He said: “Today has been a brilliant opportunity to explain what the new Beckton Hub is all about, because for us, it’s a real game changer. We’ve developed a safe, trusted and permanent anchor right in the heart of east London.”
The £4.7-million, state-of the-art redevelopment project will see the footprint of the current building treble, enabling the Foundation to serve thousands of children, young people, adults, families, elderly residents and hard-to-reach groups and individuals, doubling the current 2,000-weekly participant footfall in the process. Incredibly, it is also expected to deliver over £75 million in social value in its first five years of operation.
Lyons added: “Although full focus is on opening our doors to our new Hub and confirming our final partners to help make our vision a reality, events like this are crucial for us. They help us to connect, raise awareness and take people on the journey.
“Paragon have been a fantastic supporter of ours now for four years and they’ve helped us to enhance our events and wider activities throughout the year. We’re grateful to their amazing team and volunteers who joined us today, in addition to sponsors ‘Yes Coach’ and ‘My Golf Tour - Golf Travel Experts’. Events like this simply wouldn’t be possible without these like-minded individuals and organisations, or the support from fans and members of our community.”
To register your interest in upcoming events or to learn more about supporting the Foundation, please contact Fundraising Manager Hannah Waldron at [email protected].
