The Marina Dalglish Appeal, Claire House and the European Tour Foundation have been named as the Official Charities of the Betfred British Masters, which takes place at Hillside Golf Club, from May 9-12.
Tournament host Tommy Fleetwood selected the three charities, which will benefit from funds raised at the tournament.
The Marina Dalglish Appeal was founded by legendary Liverpool footballer Sir Kenny Dalglish and his wife Marina in 2005 after Marina was successfully treated for breast cancer two years earlier.
It has supported a range of cancer-related projects on Merseyside and has been instrumental in bringing new chemotherapy and radiotherapy centres, as well as state-of-the-art medical technology, to Merseyside. The charity provides a vital support network to cancer patients through Larks, its support centre in Liverpool.
Also based in Merseyside, Claire House Children’s Hospice helps seriously and terminally ill children live life to the full by creating wonderful experiences and bringing back a sense of normality to family life. By providing specialist nursing care and emotional support the charity helps local families smile again when life couldn’t get any tougher.
The third Official Charity of the Betfred British Masters is the European Tour Foundation, which provides incredible opportunities to improve lives and communities in areas visited by the European Tour through unique fundraising activities and the creation of empowering global charitable partnerships.
Fleetwood, the 2017 Race to Dubai Champion and one of the stars of last year’s Ryder Cup, will host this year’sBetfred British Masters at Hillside Golf Club (May 9-12), in Southport, the coastal town where he grew up.
He said: “I am delighted to announce the three official charities for the Betfred British Masters, which are the Marina Dalglish Appeal, Claire House and the European Tour Foundation.
“The European Tour Foundation has always taken great pride in helping local communities, and the Marina Dalglish Appeal and Claire House are two really good local charities. Hopefully the British Masters will help raise a lot of money and awareness for them.”
Kenny Dalglish, former player and manager of Liverpool Football Club, whose family setup the Marina Dalglish Appeal 14 years ago, said: “First and foremost I’d like to say thanks very much to Tommy and Clare Fleetwood and the European Tour for choosing Marina’s Appeal as one of the official charities. It’s a great honour and we’re privileged to be a part of this fantastic event.
“We started when Marina was diagnosed with breast cancer and the treatment she got was fantastic and we wanted to show our appreciation and say thanks very much to the people.
“The success of the charity isn’t because of our name, it’s because people have put their hands in their pockets and supported it. For us it’s a way of life now, it’s something that Marina and my daughters Lauren, Kelly and Lynsey have helped develop and support. It’s a family affair and they know that every single penny goes exactly where they want it to go to people less fortunate than ourselves. We’re gratified that people think about us and we’re really grateful for the help and support that we get.”
Andrew Pickering, Claire House’s Partnership Manager, said: “Everyone is very excited about being part of the British Masters. We help seriously and terminally ill children across Merseyside and Cheshire so this is a great opportunity for us to get our name out there and make sure we’re known across the area.
“We’re also excited to receive a donation which we will use directly to help children with one-to-one nursing care. That’s what we really need at the moment. We’ve received an unprecedent number of referrals in the last few years and we need to keep up with that. So we’re really grateful for the support we’re going to receive.”
Nick Rose, Head of the European Tour Foundation, said: “We are delighted to be an Official Charity of the Betfred British Masters. The European Tour Foundation is embarking on a far greater, global philanthropic strategy and we are very much looking forward to working with Tommy Fleetwood and his chosen charities, the Marina Dalglish Appeal and Claire House, at Hillside as part of our strategy of helping local communities we play in.”
Tickets to the 2019 Betfred British Masters hosted by Tommy Fleetwood at Hillside Golf Club from May 9-12 are available by clickinghere. A range of hospitality packages are also available. Clickherefor more details.
