Golf Day Raises £18k For Air Ambulance Charity Kent Surrey Sussex (KSS)
A total of 74 golfers from across Kent, Surrey and Sussex took part in the annual KSS Golf Day, raising £18K for the life-saving charity.
The event, which was held at Westerham Golf Club in Kent, welcomed 19 teams from across KSS’s region.
During a competitive round, players were treated to a flyover by a KSS Air Ambulance helicopter. The day included competitions for nearest the pin and longest drive. Following lunch in the clubhouse, the players heard from Kelly Heaton-Ralph, KSS Executive Director of Fundraising and Philanthropy, and David Wright, Operations Manager and Paramedic, on how the charity depends on public support to carry out its vital life-saving work.
Lauren Simmons, Head of Events at KSS, said: “We had a brilliant day, and I want to say a very big thank you to everyone who took part and to our generous hole sponsors. Congratulations to the Chartway Group for taking the honours in the team competition.”
Lauren continued: “Medical incidents, which account for 27% of the incidents we attend to, can occur anywhere, including on golf courses. When they do happen, our expert critical care can be urgently needed. We are called to players who have experienced a cardiac arrest or other medical emergency on the course, and to players who have fallen or suffered a serious injury.”
One of these players is John Willoughby who, when he was struck in the face by a golf club, collapsed and needed life-saving treatment. John’s friend called 999 and KSS was dispatched quickly so that they could begin John’s treatment at the scene. Suspecting a severe head injury, John was given an emergency anaesthetic by a KSS specialist doctor and paramedic team, and was then rapidly transferred to St George’s Hospital, London.
John, who had taken up golf following his retirement from the London Fire Brigade, said: “This was a freak accident, and if it wasn’t for the life-saving skills of KSS and the medical team at St George’s Hospital, there is a strong chance I’d no longer be here. Throughout my 32 years in the London Fire Brigade, I worked alongside the Air Ambulance at many incidents. I know the extraordinary work they do, and I will always be grateful that they were there for me.”
Lauren Simmons added: “It costs over £45K a day to run our life-saving service, and it’s thanks to the incredible support we receive from our community that we can be there to help people like John when life-threatening medical emergencies do occur – on a golf course or anywhere across our region.”
“Thank you to everyone who teed off last week at Westerham Golf Club, helping us to ensure that our critical care can be there for anyone whenever and wherever it’s needed.”
KSS is very grateful to its hole sponsors for the 2023 Corporate Golf Day: Fidelity International, Marsh Commercials, Chartway Group, GW Highways, Biffa Waste Management, Day Aggregates, Swale Aggregates and MTS Cleaning Services Ltd. The charity would also like to thank Westerham Golf Club for its support and Gravesham Trophy Centre, who kindly donated the trophies for the day.
For details of future fundraising events, please visit aakss.org.uk
