SWINDON CANCER APPEAL: NEW Year fundraising for the Swindon Cancer Appeal has teed off with a phenomenal £33,000 donation from a group of Wiltshire golfers.

Golfers David Hames, from Bath, John Abbott, from Melksham and Tony Edwards, from Chippenham, decided to take up the Macmillan Longest Day challenge to play no less than 72 holes in 24 hours and raised £33,545.52.

Their amazing efforts started in June 2004 when the group decided to have a bash at breaking the record £10,000 previously raised by doing so.

Mr Hames, who sells conservatories, said: "Being golfers, we thought this would be a great way of raising money and we were determined to beat the previous record of £10,000 any way we could."

To begin the fundraising efforts in June they held an auction in a marquee at the Kingsdown Golf Club, near Bath, with invited guests, and a range of donated items.

"We plied the guests with champagne, to get them in a spending mood, expecting the event to raise perhaps £10, 000 or £11,000 but, by the time the night was over, we counted up £25,000," said David.

A number of guests at the event successfully bid for their goods and paid for them, and then put them back into the auction again.

A few days later, David and his friends made an early start and teed off their 72-hole game shortly before 5am at the Cumberwell Golf Course, near Bradford on Avon, before moving on to the Kingswell course.

"We got a few more friends to sponsor us," said David.

"It was an early start but we managed to finish exactly when we wanted to at 8.15pm, just when we were doing the last putt.

"The big C has always been close to our hearts. If you and I don't get it, and we'll both know someone who will.

"There is a group of us, 25 golfers and we have lost five to cancer, one in his 30s, three in their 50s and one in his 60s, but none to heart attacks or other illnesses."

Other groups and individuals have also been busy.

Four staff from Thames Water managed to raise more than £800 by abseiling from the WH Smith building in Greenbridge.

Thames Water then matched the funds raised, totalling a huge £1,653.

And Ashgrove House Nursing Home, in Purton, and Wootton Bassett School raised £64 and £60 respectively for their donations in lieu of Christmas cards.

The appeal total stands at almost £565,000.

The aim of the appeal is to raise £600,000 by 2006 to pay for two Macmillan nurses for the Great Western Hospital and a consultant in palliative care to work at the hospital and at the Prospect Hospice in Wroughton.

Events planned

Fundraising for Macmillan is continuing with some dramatic fundraising events.

l In April, adventurous volunteers will be abseiling from the WH Smith building in Greenbridge as part of the Royal Artillery Display Troop annual Abseil.

Thrill-seekers will have to pay £10 entry and get £100 sponsorship for the opportunity of climbing down the 100ft-tall building.

Letters have already been sent out to all the people who took part last year and one person has already signed up. The 2004 event saw 52 people take part and £12,000 was raised.

For those who prefer to have their feet on the ground the Macmillan Annual Golf Day will be held at the Castle Combe Golf Course on May 10.

Entry is £470 for a team of four to take part and bacon rolls will be served, followed by a Texas scramble in the morning, then an 18-hole round in the afternoon and an evening meal.

For more information ring 01793 601636.

To make a donation to the appeal online, click here.

Tell us about your fundraising event, click here.

Anthony Osborne