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Sporting stars set to tee off for COCO at the 15th Steve Cram Celebrity Golf Day

ByDave Stopher

Jun 13, 2018

One of the North East’s best-established sporting fundraisers is set to make a welcome return later this month when the 15th annual Steve Cram Celebrity Golf Day gets underway at Q Hotels Slaley Hall on Thursday 28 June.  The event will see sporting stars, including famous names from the world of athletics, swimming, rugby and football, join teams from businesses across the region to help raise tens of thousands of pounds for international children’s charity COCO. 

A firm fixture on the region’s golfing calendar since 2004, the popular event will see world champion athlete and BBC commentator Steve Cram CBE joined by a host of stars including Olympic Silver and Commonwealth gold medallist Kris Akabusi MBE, Commonwealth and World Champion swimmer Karen Pickering MBE and former Scotland International rugby player and current Newcastle Falcons Vice Captain, Ally Hogg.  Adding to the line-up are well-regarded former track and field athletes Tom McKean, Brian Whittle and Geoff Parsons and former pro-footballers Steve Harper and Alan Thompson, who have both played for Newcastle United Football Club, and Neil Maddison who has spent time at both Middlesbrough and Darlington Football Clubs.  They will be joined by NUFC’s former coach John Carver, English professional football referee Michael Oliver and sports broadcaster Ian Payne, as well as other names yet to be confirmed. 

Each team that signs up to take part has the opportunity to be joined by one of the celebrity guests for the day and compete for trophies and prizes on Slaley’s perfectly maintained championship course. 

The Steve Cram Celebrity Golf Day has raised in excess of £222,000 so far for Newcastle based COCO, which was co-founded by Cram alongside former British Army Major Jim Panton in 2000.  Since its inception, COCO has raised over £4 million that has been invested in sustainable projects to improve the quality of education for children living in poor and marginalised communities in remote regions of East Africa.

Lucy Kendall, CEO of COCO, said: “The annual golf tournament is a unique opportunity for members of the North East business community to spend time with Steve and our fantastic celebrity supporters who once again include many celebrated athletes and sportsmen and women.

“It’s no surprise that 15 years on, the event remains as popular as ever.  Not only do guests get to enjoy a fantastic day of golf in the stunning surroundings of Slaley Hall, but they do so while raising lots of money that is invested directly into transformational projects that are improving the lives of many young people in some of the poorest parts of Africa.”

Following the hotly contested golf tournament, the teams will enjoy a drinks reception followed by a three-course dinner with their paired celebrity hosting their table and Paralympic presenter JJ Chalmers hosting the overall event. Tickets are priced at £550 for a team of four or £800 for three plus a celebrity. Those not taking part in the golf who would like to join the dinner can purchase tickets priced at £60 per person.

The Steve Cram Celebrity Golf Day is sponsored by Grosvenor Sport.  To book places at the event email holly@coco.org.uk and to find out more about the work of COCO visit www.coco.org.uk, find the charity on Facebook or follow @COCO_Charity on Twitter.