Charity Golf Event

Collings & Co were pleased recently to support a fundraising Charity Golf Event in aid of the Martha Trust. The event took place at the Kent National Golf and Country Club in Brenchley, Kent, on October 7th 2005. It was billed as a fun day of golf with a slight competitive edge, and it was everything it promised to be.

The two competing teams were the Kent & England Cricketers, headed up by Derek Underwood, versus The All Stars, led by Ed “Crackerjack” Stewart. A mixture of sports and TV celebrities, the contest was played on a Ryder Cup basis. Martin Collings represented Collings & Co, who sponsored one hole, with team mates John Letts of Letts & Co, solicitors, Mark Pearce of Burgess Hodgson, Chartered Accountants, and the redoubtable “Stewpot” himself. In the event, the All Stars won by the narrowest of margins. All round winners, however, and deservedly so, was the Martha Trust, who raised £7,500 over the day.

Martha Trust is a registered charity committed to the provision of lifelong residential and respite care for children and adults with profound learning and physical disabilities. For a variety of reasons, access to the type of care which Martha Trust provides is very limited and often of an unsatisfactory nature. People in residential care are often expected to move home on a regular basis which can be very unsettling. At Martha Trust they pledge a home for life and in addition to their respite facilities they provide support to families in a variety of practical ways.

Martha House, in Hacklinge, Deal, Kent, cares for 12 adults on a residential basis and has one place dedicated to respite care, helping a further 15 families. Frances House, their children’s home, was opened by the Princess Royal in 1999 and is home to 5 children. The facilities include a hydrotherapy pool, various sensory therapies, a music room and a full daycare service. A new home in Hastings has opened in autumn 2005 as a home for 8 young adults.