Wakefield sporty school girl raises over £2,000 for Macmillan after completing 72-hole golf challenge

Eva Rowbottom may only be eight-years-old, but that didn’t stop the aspiring golder from completing Macmillan’s mammoth 72-hole Longest Day golf challenge late last month.

A member of the girl guides at Newmillerdam, Eva,completed the challenge with her dad, John and professional golfer Jon Baldwin, at Woolley Park Golf Club.

The trio started their challenge at 5am, battled 29 degree heat and walked over 20 miles to complete their effort 17 hours later at just after 10pm – raising over £2,000 for Macmillan in the process.

John said: “We’re so proud of Eva. She’s a beginner golfer and has never tackled anything like the 20-plus miles her little legs carried her for.

"She was exhausted when we came off the golf course, but she woke up the next morning with a smile on her face and not a single complaint of feeling tired. I spent my day trying to be more like her!

“But our aches and pains were insignificant compared to the experiences of those that suffer through cancer. Eva wanted to raise money for Macmillan because three members of staff at Woolley Park and our golfing partner Jon have all had treatment.

“The work that Macmillan do is vital in supporting people living with cancer. I’m proud that my little girl has been able to help raise vital funds – we wouldn’t have raised what we did without her help.”

The money raised goes towards Macmillan providing practical, emotional, physical, and financial support to people going through cancer, and their families.

Michaela Ryder, relationship fundraising manager at Macmillan, added: “We’re so proud of Eva and want to thank her, her dad John and Jon Baldwin for their incredible fundraising. Our Longest Day golf challenge is tough for anyone – let alone an eight-year-old!

“The money raised will go a long way to support people living with and affected by cancer across Wakefield and the whole of Yorkshire. If you’d like to fundraise for Macmillan, you can visit our website www.macmillan.org.uk where there are plenty of ideas about how you can get involved.”