Advance TRS team complete Longest Day Golf Challenge

22nd July 2022

Last week, seven of our avid golfers took on the Longest Day Golf Challenge to raise vital funds for Macmillan Cancer Support. They raised a total of £1,175!

The team made up of our Rail consultants included Jake Rodger, Andy Ridout, Craig Outhwaite, Josh Hill, Sam Blair, Mick Schruyers and Chris Spurdle.

They completed 4 rounds of golf, 72 holes, in 31-degree heat, taking a total of 16 hours and walking over21 miles!

Rail Business Development Manager Chris shared:

“It was a really good day. As someone who has recently joined the business, taking on the Longest Day Golf Challenge was a great way for me to get to know some of my team.”

The team teed off at 5:30am, long before some of us were even out of bed and finished the last round at approximately 8:30pm! Each round of golf took roughly 3 hours and 30 minutes to complete, but the team admit they lost track after the first couple of rounds.

Speaking to them about the distance they said:

“The last we checked it was about 46,000 steps, however, the watch we were using ran out of charge, so we don’t know the exact count. This happened on the second hole of the last round so you can guess the next 16 holes…”

We would like to again extend our thanks to Blacknest Golf and Country Club who supported us on the day and allowed us to use their course.

“We started very strong and played some good golf, but with the heat and exhaustion, it did go a bit downhill each round we played. Despite struggling to walk the next day, it was very good fun and something I would do again.”
Explained our consultant, Sam.

Fundraising can make a huge difference, so we are pleased to have contributed to an important cause. Taking on this challenge will help Macmillan make a real difference to people living with cancer. They will be able to give people going through a cancer experience practical, emotional and personal support.

Business Development Director Mick shared some final thoughts from the day:

“The day was great, it was a real team effort. It was certainly a hard day but hearing a number of people at the club cheering us on during the day helped get us through. We even had a lady who thought we were crazy and was leaving the course after 9 holes as it was too hot. We told her what we were doing, and she waited for us to return and donated £20 towards the day. It was a real good, spirited team event and still managed to recognise good shots even on the last 18 holes.

The funniest part of the day was watching Jake try and save Andy’s ball going in the pond, however, while doing so he fell down the bank…luckily, he only got his feet wet but was so close to going all the way in…”

Advance TRS have a strong history of taking on personal challenges to raise money for causes important to the team. This is the latest challenge in a line of activities that has seen the team raise over £65,000 for charities in 10 years.