MEET the Captains day at Masham bade farewell to the previous year’s Captain and Lady Captain and welcomed the present year’s Captain and Lady Captain.

However, there was one last, very pleasurable, task to perform before the Captains finally departed and left their positions to their successors, and that was to hand over a cheque to the Captains’ Charity recipient, this year being Tink Palmer on behalf of the Marie Collins Foundation.

Tink, with her many years of experience working in the field of child abuse, in 2009, having recognised the increasing numbers of children being abused on line and realising how little professional support and understanding for those children and families abused through the internet and mobile technology was available, sought to provide that help and support by creating the Marie Collins Foundation.

Marie Collins, herself a victim in the 1960s, working tirelessly over the years to bring understanding to a subject which is sadly on the increase, not just nationally but world wide and is now a patron of the foundation.

Since 2009, the Marie Collins Foundation has grown in strength locally, nationally and internationally, with governments recognising the seriousness of on line abuse and calling upon the Foundation to provide advice in many countries.

In accepting a cheque for £5,050, from last year’s Lady Captain, Julia Baker, an astounded Tink Palmer said how grateful she was, on behalf of the Foundation, to receive such a generous donation and thanked Masham Golf Club and in particular, Julia who created many money raising activities throughout the year along with Neil Pickard, 2019 Captain.

Tink explained that the money raised by the club would be used to support children and their families living in the local area.

For those interested in finding out more about the Marie Collins Foundation please go to

www.mariecollinsfoundation.org.uk

To announce the Captains’ Charity for 2020, Club Captain Terry Jobling and Lady Captain Jean Ogden introduced Tessa Klemz, representing the Yorkshire Air Ambulance.

Tessa thanked Terry and Jean for selecting YAA as Masham Golf Club’s 2020 charity.

Well known throughout Yorkshire for the job of saving lives, the YAA, an independent charity, relies entirely on public support.

The cost of £12,000 per day to keep the two helicopter air ambulances, serviced and in the air, is just one cost for starters.

It is also worth noting that at least two members of the club have had their lives saved by the actions of the YAA, and as people say, “most people will know of at least one person to benefit from the YAA”.

This year the YAA celebrates its 20th birthday, so Terry asked that Masham Golf Club make it a year to remember, although, as he added, the YAA have some way to go to catch Masham Golf Club’s 125th birthday this year.

In closing Terry and Jean wished everybody “Good Health and Good Golf” for the coming year.