Stephen Warnock and Bruce Grobbelaar were among the players at The Charity Golf Day hosted by Woolton Golf Club to raise money for Marie Curie Hospice Woolton and the Darby Rimmer MND Foundation.
Former Liverpool defender Stephen Darby was forced to retire at the age of 29 after being diagnosed with motor neurone disease (MND) while playing for Bolton Wanderers. Darby launched the Darby Rimmer MND Foundation alongside his close friend Chris Rimmer, a British Forces Veteran who tragically passed away from the disease in April 2022.
The Darby Rimmer MND Foundation was a chosen beneficiary of the The Charity Golf Day alongside Marie Curie Hospice Woolton by the two captains of the club, Brian Hamilton and Karen Hadden.
The event took place on August 26 with any money raised being split between the two causes. 20 teams of four players hit the greens with ex-Liverpool players Grobbelaar and Warnock among those playing. Warnock was a member in one of the two teams representing Darby on the day and is a patron of the Darby Rimmer charity.
There was a raffle and an evening dinner with prizes donated by Royal Liverpool, Hillside and Wallasey Golf Clubs and Everton FC among other kind benefactors.
Darby's close friend John Eccleston spoke on his behalf at the dinner outlining the aims of the foundation which has donated over £150,000 of grant support to families battling MND as well as funding seven research projects.
Darby was presented with a cheque of £8,000 on September 21 and was praised for his bravery as he continues his fight with MND.
Woolton club captain Hadden said: "When we met Stephen yesterday to present him with the cheque from the money raised at our Charity Golf Day he spoke about his frustration that the £50 million committed by HM Government in November 2021 to fund research is proving to be very difficult to access as the application process is cumbersome and time consuming for the professors. Time that they could be spending on tackling MND. Time that the people who have MND are running out of.
"Brian and I were completely overwhelmed with how Stephen is coping with his illness, with such dignity, bravery and humour. He was delighted to receive a cheque for £8000 but also that we were helping to keep the discussion about MND current and helping to increase awareness.
"We are so grateful to the members of Woolton Golf Club, everyone who played in the Charity Golf Day and all the individual businesses, organisations and people who generously donated prizes to help us raise an incredible amount of money."
--To donate and read more about Stephen Darby's story, visit the Darby Rimmer MND Foundation here --
