Marking the return of in-person events, the 11th annual GIMA Charity Golf Day (June 9th, 2021) was a fun-filled day of friendly competition, reunions, networking, fundraising, and glorious summer sunshine. Held at the new location of Belton Woods Hotel & Golf Club in Grantham, Lincolnshire, the event brought together garden industry suppliers and retailers with twenty-four four ball teams competing for the highly coveted GIMA Golf trophy.
Post-golf the teams enjoyed an alfresco barbeque and drinks, where prizes were given for a series of golf competitions including nearest the pin, Beat the Pro, and longest drive, with Andy Bestwick lending his excellent compéring skills to the occasion. A raffle and auction – including generous donations from Leisuregrow and Woodlodge as well as Haemmerlin, Leon Boots, Primeur, Elho, Capi Europe, Evergreen Garden Care, A Perry & Co. and CJ Wildlife – also took place, helping to raise thousands of pounds for the event’s charity beneficiary, Greenfingers.
The day was made possible thanks to the generosity of the many sponsors including Durston Garden Products, Rollins Bulldog Tools, Westland Horticulture, Mr Fothergill’s Seeds, Gardenforum, Zest 4 Leisure, Decco, Leisuregrow, Smart Garden Products, Hozelock, Hornby Whitefoot PR, Darlac, Woodlodge, Vitax, Imprint, and the Patio Black Spot Removal Company.
Speaking about the day, GIMA Director, Vicky Nuttall said: “What a fantastic day. The first in-person event since March 2019 certainly delivered. It was great to see the industry come together for a day of fun and networking and we are so grateful to everyone for joining us safely and securely. It was clear that such events had been missed, so it was wonderful to be able to facilitate this. A huge thank you must go to everyone that took part including our sponsors, those that donated auction and raffle prizes, and all those that dug deep and donated to the Greenfingers charity.”
Linda Petrons, Director of Fundraising & Communications at the Greenfingers Charity said: “On behalf of everyone at Greenfingers Charity, thank you GIMA for another fabulous charity event. Your generosity throughout the day and into the evening is hugely appreciated by us all but more importantly the hundreds of children and families we support.”
The Zest 4 Leisure team was crowned 2021 Golf Day champions with 96 points. They were followed by Woodlodge in second place and Imprint in third. The booby prize was presented to the Charles Bentley team.
Hole 11 was home to the ‘beat the pro’. The winners were Nick Griffin, Stuart Jenks, Andy Bestwick, Charlie Rowe, Antony Dawson, Alan Burdon, Greg Ronald, Ian Dunnaker, Paul Facey, Simon Neate, Richard Newton, James Boodle, and Dave Bullivant – each winning a free ‘four-ball’ at Belton Woods.
Other nearest the pin challenges took place on the holes, 4, 8, 11, and 15, with Chris Owen, Phil Hodges, Simon Neate, and James Parr winning respectively, whilst the player with the longest drive on the 18th was James Mitchell. Chris Owen was also awarded the prize for the nearest to the pin in two on the 9th.
The annual GIMA Awards will be making their return in November 2021. Taking place on Thursday 11th November at the Celtic Manor Hotel, Newport, the event will be celebrating its 40th anniversary. To find out more please visit https://gima.org.uk/gima-awards/ – but be quick as tickets are almost sold out!
