Charity quids in after Scots Open

Mindroom hails ‘fantastic result’ after more than £50,000 is raised through Gullane activities

The Scottish Open’s official charity, Mindroom, has benefited to the tune of just over £50,000 from a raft of fundraising activities centred around this year’s championship at Gullane.

Thanks to the generosity and skill of the professional golfers taking part, along with assistance of the amateurs and caddies involved in the pro-am, as well as all the officials and spectators, a grand total of £51,065 was raised for Mindroom, an independent Scottish charity that supports the families of children and young people with learning difficulties.

‘Tartan Wednesday’, in which everyone involved in the pro-am preceding the championship was asked to wear an item of tartan in support of Mindroom, raised £20,000.

VALUABLE

A further £16,860 was raised from the traditional ‘Birdie Pledge’, with £10 being added to the fund for every birdie and £20 for every eagle made during the four days of competition. Over the 72 holes, there were 1,486 birdies, bringing in £14,860, and 20 eagles worth £400.

The new champion Rickie Fowler also played a valuable role in the ‘Birdie Pledge’, with his personal haul of 15 birdies made during the event contributing £150 to the overall ‘pot’.

Additionally, a hole-in-one by Chile’s Felipe Aguilar at the 160-yard third in the first round brought a donation of £1,600 - £10 for every yard of the hole – from Aberdeen Asset Management and the Tour Players Foundation, the charitable arm of the European Tour.

PASSIONATE

Helping to lift the final total through the £50,000 barrier was a prize draw organised by Mindroom, which brought in £12,000, and corporate donations worth over £2,000.

Sophie Dow, founder of Mindroom, said: “This is a fantastic result for a small charity like ours. At Mindroom, we are passionate about providing direct help and support for the parents, carers and families of children and young people with learning difficulties.

“We have an experienced direct support team of five and the money that has been raised at the Aberdeen Asset Management Scottish Open in Gullane will enable us to employ another team member for two years.”

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