East Lothian Foodbank, part of a U.K. network dedicated to alleviating food poverty and hunger in the local communities, has joined forces with the golfing fraternity today by being named as Official Charity to the Scottish Senior Open.
The long-running tournament will be played at Craigielaw Golf Club, East Lothian, on Scotland’s Golf Coast from September 14-16. Admission to the course is free on all three days, but car parking will be charged at £5 for a solo driver and £10 per car with two or more occupants with all proceeds going to East Lothian Foodbank – part of the Trussell Trust’s network of 428 foodbanks across the U.K.
The first 36 holes of the £250,000 tournament, which began in 1993 and has been played every subsequent year will be contested in the Alliance Pro-Am format (amateur players paired with a professional). The final round on Sunday, September 16 will be for pros only, with the winner taking home a cheque for £37,500.
This will be the fourth consecutive year that the Scottish Senior Open has been contested in East Lothian, home to many of the country’s top golf courses. The event was won at Renaissance Club in 2017 by England’s Paul Broadhurst, who also triumphed at Archerfield Links in 2015, with fellow Englishman Paul Eales taking the title at Archerfield in 2016.
East Lothian Foodbank, based in Tranent, less than seven miles from Craigielaw Golf Club, was set up in direct response to local need and opened its doors in October 2012. Based in the Old Library in Tranent, East Lothian Foodbank fed a total of 4409 people in the East Lothian area during the 12 months from July 1, 2017 to June 30, 2018.
In one month alone recently, 176 three-day emergency food parcels were distributed – a total of 3428kg of food - feeding 346 people of whom one-third were children.
Affiliated to the Trussell Trust, which runs the largest network of foodbanks in the UK, giving emergency food and support to people in crisis, East Lothian Foodbank is delighted to partner the Scottish Senior Open on the Staysure Tour in September.
Peter Dicker, manager of the East Lothian Foodbank, said: “We are excited to become the Official Charity of the Scottish Senior Open at Craigielaw Golf Club. Our objective is the relief of poverty in the East Lothian Community and every pound collected is precious in our mission to help people experiencing severe hunger.
“The Foodbank was set up in 2012 by former East Lothian MP, Fiona O’Donnell, as a direct response to local need. There was, and still is, a growing number of people experiencing severe food poverty and we aim to alleviate this challenge through dependable emergency supplies accessible to so many people, from people on their own, single parents and schoolchildren to persons released from custody requiring assistance.”
A total of 13,000,000 people live below the poverty line and in the last year the Trussell Trust gave 1,332,952 three-day emergency food supplies to people in crisis.
David MacLaren, Head of the Staysure Tour, said: “We are honoured to join forces with East Lothian Foodbank to help in a small way to try to break the cycle of poverty. This is the fourth successive year in which we have staged the Scottish Senior Open in the beautiful county of East Lothian and we are delighted to have this opportunity for the power of sport to tackle the issue of extreme hunger within the local community.
“The tournament will bring professional and amateur golfers together in the popular Alliance Pro-Am format at Craigielaw from September 14-16, and we hope everyone associated with the event, as well as the spectating public, will contribute to this very worthwhile cause.”
Paul Bush, Director of Events with VisitScotland said: “We are looking forward to welcoming the Scottish Senior Open to Craigielaw Golf Club in September to continue what has been a magical summer of world class events in Scotland, the home of golf.
“Spectators will not only be able to watch the top stars compete for one of the most prestigious titles on the Staysure Tour but they will also be supporting the East Lothian Foodbank which has been named as the official charity for the Scottish Senior Open.”
Councillor John McMillan, East Lothian Council spokesperson for Economic Development and Tourism, said: “Scotland’s Golf Coast is delighted to be hosting the Scottish Senior Open once again. In previous years, the tournament has attracted some household names from the world of golf and has been a big draw for spectators and I’m sure this year will be no different.
“It’s fantastic that a charity like East Lothian Foodbank will be the benefactor of the event, meaning spectators can turn up to enjoy some great golf in a wonderful setting, knowing they’re helping some of the most vulnerable in our society too.”
Sponsorship opportunities, including information on securing a place in the Alliance Pro-Am, are still available for the Scottish Senior Open. For all enquiries, email:
info.staysuretour@europeantour.com
