The Insurance Institute of Cheltenham and Gloucester kicked off a second year of supporting Sue Ryder Leckhampton Court Hospice with a golf day.

The institute started fundraising for the Cheltenham hospice in May 2021, raising £2,094 by the end of the fundraising season.

The institute - consisting of 2,000 members from insurance and financial services - is based throughout Gloucestershire, including Cheltenham, Gloucester, Stroud and the Forest of Dean, as well as some of Swindon.

Tim Chandler, commercial underwriter at Gloucester-based Ecclesiastical and president of the institute, said: "Sue Ryder Leckhampton Court Hospice helped care for a friend in 2019 who spent time at the hospice following his treatment, so I am aware of the brilliant work they do. Sue Ryder is also my local charity, the hospice is close to where I live and I wanted to keep our fundraising close."

The annual golf day was held at Brickhampton Golf Club in Churchdown, raising £1,050. There were 80 golfers in total, and prizes were given to the overall winning team, the person closest to the hole in a shot and the longest drive.

The organisers offered the opportunity to buy a mulligan - an extra stroke allowed after a poor shot, not counted on the scorecard - which helped to top up their fundraising total.

Tim said: "We had a day of nice sunny weather, and everyone was in good spirits. It's a professional event, but we wanted everyone to enjoy themselves, which I definitely think we achieved, as well as helping to raise vital funds for Sue Ryder."

The institute will continue to raise money through fundraising activities and staff will also volunteer at events like the recent Ride for Ryder bike ride. 

Alysia Cameron-Price, community fundraising manager at Sue Ryder Leckhampton Court Hospice, said, "After such a successful year of fundraising, we're so grateful to the Cheltenham and Gloucester Insurance Institute for choosing to support us as their chosen charity of the year for the second year running. The funds raised over the course of the 12 months are vital in allowing us to continue providing the local community with the compassionate, expert care they deserve - and partnerships such as this make that possible."