Sporting celebrities took to the fairway to support the NSPCC and Wakefield Hospice in Yorkshire this week. BBC presenter Dan Walker and former Look North host Harry Gration, former footballers Bruce Grobbelaar, Paul Heckinbottom, Steve Haslam, Daral Pugh, Andy Holdsworth, Chris Turner and Neil McDonald were among the celebrity golfers who took part in the one-day event at Waterton Park Golf Club. Also joining them to tee off in Wakefield on Wednesday morning were former Sports Minister Richard Caborn, and snooker player and presenter John Parrott. The event was organised by club captain Bernard McHale for his chosen charities Wakefield Hospice and the NSPCC, with around £4,000 raised on the day to be split between the two charities and more fundraising events to follow in coming months. Mr McHale said: “It’s an absolute honour to be club captain, and ensure that through wonderful events like this and the generosity of our members, the NSPCC and Wakefield Hospice will receive thousands of pounds in donations this year. “I must also thank all the celebrities and everyone who helped make this competition happen by taking time out from their own busy schedules for the event and to help raise a terrific amount for good causes.” The celebrities joined club members in teams of three for a round of golf as well as a special Hole In One challenge, followed by refreshments at the halfway point and the ‘19th hole’. The sell-out event was also sponsored by Cars2 & Pure Cars Limited and The Park Restaurant, and contributed vital funds to the children’s charity which relies on public donations for about 90% of its funding. Chris Park, NSPCC senior partnerships manager, said: “We’re so grateful to Mr McHale and everyone at Waterton Park Golf Club for making this event happen. Every £4 raised on the day could help one of our specially-trained Childline counsellors answer a call from a young person in their darkest hour, so whether the players and the celebrities got round the course in par or spent their day escaping from bunkers or the rough, they’ve made a huge difference to the lives of children in Yorkshire and across the UK.” Helen Knowles, director of income generation at Wakefield Hospice, said: “The club has been very supportive for many years, and this money is vital to our survival at the moment so we’re hugely grateful to Mr McHale and everyone who has taken part. The last two years have been desperately hard for fundraising and we have lost around 70% of our income so today seems even more special, not just because of the amazing fundraising, but because it feels like a little bit of normality is returning.”