Support Us: Join our Charity Golf Day on 26th June at Hever Castle Golf Club
14 May 2025
Welcome to our newest blog. This blog introduces one of our trustees, Gareth Munn, who also talks about how you can support us at our charity golf day this year, happening in June!
Introducing Gareth, a Tree of Hope Trustee
Gareth is a financial advisor based in Tunbridge Wells, who has a personal connection to Tree of Hope, as his daughter has cerebral palsy. Gareth came across Tree of Hope around eight years ago, at the very beginning of his journey, when learning about what funding was required for his daughter, because not only can the diagnosis be a big journey both emotionally and medically, it can also be a confusing and difficult time in terms of grappling the financial demands. With the NHS’s limitations, parents in similar circumstances find that they may need to go outside the NHS to get the things that their child requires.
Whilst gathering information, Gareth had a great and informative chat with one of Tree of Hope’s Family Support Officers, but for a variety of reasons, didn't set up a campaign, as their circumstances as a family meant that they didn’t quite need the help at that point in their lives. Gareth remained in touch with Tree of Hope because our mission really resonated with him, understanding how powerful it could be for empowering parents in their journey.
A few years down the line, Gareth name checked Tree of Hope in a LinkedIn blog focusing on what he had learned about financing with disabled children from the point of view of parents and grandparents, because he considered us to be a useful resource to him at his time of need. This simple connection led to more conversations, and most significantly a discussion with another trustee at Tree of Hope, who explained that we would love his support with our charity from a trustee perspective.
Having been a trustee for nearly a year, it has surpassed expectations, particularly with the opportunities to be emotionally involved, as well as contributing career and health experiences at board and committee level. Gareth has also loved the opportunity to get involved in our Golf Days, as an avid golf fan, but admittedly, not a particularly skilled one!
Tree of Hope’s Annual Charity Golf Day – Gareth’s favourite moments
Gareth explained that his favourite moments from last year’s charity golf day included “getting on the golf buggy and dressing like a golfer even though I cannot play golf for the life of me. I've been trying for years but can't. I got to pretend I was Seve Ballesteros captaining the Ryder Cup team, I got in my buggy, in my hat with my tree of hope pin on, and drove between all the different teams, just introducing myself, saying hello, getting to understand how they met the charity and giving them any more info they needed.”
Living out his golfing dreams, Gareth said that he’d “watch someone hit a ball and it would move the way they weren't expecting, so when the next team got to come up, I got to say things like, “you want to club up when you hit this shot”, or “you want to watch it breaks and left to right”, and then look like a hero as the ball went exactly where they wanted to, or it banked slightly left and they weren't expecting it to! It was great fun with a great group of people. There were some decent golfers on that group actually, and everyone was really quite engaged in what the charity does, rather than it just being a sort of turn up and play a bit of golf.”
Who would enjoy our Golf Day?
We welcome golfers of all abilities. People attend who have really low handicaps and are eager and regular golfers, and then on the other side, we've got supporters that have simply supported us year after year, and only play golf once or twice a year, depending on how many golf days we host. Karen, Head of Fundraising, explains that “they are the most dedicated supporters we have for that golf day and we appreciate everybody that comes along.”
What you can expect at this year’s Charity Golf Day
We are hosting our Golf day on Thursday 26th June at Hever Castle Golf Club, so, British weather depending, it should be a great day out in the sun with friends. Gareth hopes that “it'll be a good competition with some good prizes and let’s not forget that you're supporting an incredible cause that's just trying to get its message out to more and more people, because every person it reaches is one more family and one more child that gets helped. I mean I can't think of many better things to be doing on a Thursday in the middle of June!”
It’s more than just Golf – we have a fantastic raffle and auction too!
Gareth led last year’s auction in an awesome way, selling every single item for a fantastic price, which gave our golfers some brilliant bargains! Gareth said it was “slightly nerve wracking doing something you've never done before, but it was really enjoyable. Tree of Hope sourced some absolutely incredible prizes, and it was great to see our golfers willing to put their hands in their pockets and give us the money!
The prizes weren’t all just golf related - we had Michelin star restaurants, we had local wineries, a real array of food and drink. We had some really good family and couples’ experiences, and then also one of the most expensive golf bags I've ever heard of!”
The success of the auction and raffle simply wouldn’t be possible without the support we receive in the build up to the event. Karen said “to all of those suppliers and supporters that that donate gifts, honestly, they, make a huge difference to the day. That's where we generate the most of our fundraising money from on the day, and without that, it wouldn't happen in the same way, so we’re grateful to everybody that donates and everyone that bids too!”
How can businesses or individuals get involved?
Anybody who likes a walk in the sun, a beautiful bit of scenery, a justifiable day off for charity, and can play a bit of golf, the Golf Day is perfect for you!
For businesses, our Golf Day is a classic example of how you can entertain clients, network, and doing your own business development, all whilst supporting charity at the same time. Having had experience in this field, Gareth has experience in corporate hospitality experiences and attending something such as the Golf Day allows companies to show that they’re achieving their charitable goals and charitable ambitions. Being able to report back at the end of the financial year to explain how their support has directly impacted a charity in their mission to become a National Brand, meaning that more parents with disabled children are being helped in your local area is an incredible feat.
Not able to attend in person?
If you’re unable to attend in person but would still like to help, we have sponsorship opportunities for businesses too! You could be involved in sponsoring the entire day, the prizes or holes on the golf course, so please do get in touch with karen.warner@treeofhope.org.uk about how you can contribute.
Every contribution you make is helping parents with disabled children get better access to things that the NHS is struggling to provide, (and we all know all the stories about the cost-of-living crisis and NHS problems), but by supporting Tree of Hope it helps us grow the scope of the people we talk to, and means we can support even more people along their fundraising journey.
Get in touch!
For anybody interested in the Golf Day, check out our website here: https://www.treeofhope.org.uk/get-involved/events-and-campaigns/charity-golf-day-2025/
