April 3, 2019
Wentworth Club Announces New Collaborative Charity Initiative: “IMPACT: Driving for Change:”
30 March 2019: Wentworth is delighted to announce their newly formed charity partnership, ‘Impact, Driving for Change’, an exciting collaboration with the European Tour Foundation and The Black Heart Foundation.
With far-reaching connections and a history of successful fundraising activity, the three foundations plan to combine skills, resources and knowledge to provide even greater opportunities and funding for their chosen projects and across the three entities, there will be a mutual focus on youth development and care. The Wentworth Foundation provides a number of young people from the local community with the opportunity to develop their skills in tennis and golf, The Black Heart Foundation improves access to quality education for children with under-privileged backgrounds and the European Tour Foundation will raise funds for The Alexander Devine Charity, Woking and Sam Beere Hospices and BA Dreamflight.
Throughout 2019, Wentworth Club will host a series of events to support ‘Impact: Driving for Change’ in the lead up to the prestigious BMW PGA Championship 2019.
These include a Family Cricket Day, with cricket legends Kevin Pietersen, Kumar Sangakkara, Michael Vaughan and Mark Ramprakash leading the contest as Team Captains on June 2nd, the annual Wentworth Captain’s Charity Ball on June 30th, a very special golf day with Jack Nicklaus and Tony Jacklin celebrating the 50th anniversary of Concession on July 6th, and the BMW PGA Gala Dinner on September 14th featuring Sir Rod Stewart.
Wentworth Club’s Captain, Jeremy Martell, said:
I first sowed the seed of creating something bigger and better for underprivileged people in our communities, over a year ago, with my tenure of Captaincy seemingly miles away. It gives me huge pride and immense pleasure to see our three great organisations come together to create ‘Impact Driving for Change’. Now the hard work really begins!”
Ric Lewis of The Black Heart Foundation, said:
“The Black Heart Foundation is enthused and energised by the Impact: Driving for Change initiative and partnership with Wentworth Club and The European Tour. The opportunity and potential of combining our resources, relationships and reach to help talented and under-resourced children and young adults remove the barriers blocking their paths to better, greater and more productive lives is exciting.”
Keith Pelley, Chief Executive of The European Tour, said:
“The European Tour Foundation is committed to helping improve lives on a global basis, wherever the European Tour plays. But this innovative partnership with Wentworth also enables us to support important projects closer to our main headquarters. I believe the uniting of our organisations will create many exciting and viable fundraising opportunities.”
For more than nine decades Wentworth Club has been regarded as one of the world’s finest and most prestigious golf and country clubs, famous as the home of the BMW PGA Championship since 1984, host venue to the World Match Play for 43 years and the birthplace of the Ryder Cup. The golf club first opened in 1924 under the ownership of Walter George Tarrant, who made it a golf club with luxury housing around the edge of the East Course and then, the West Course. The Edinburgh Course was opened in 1990 and played host to the Senior Masters Championship for 11 years. Tennis & health club facilities were opened in 1999.
Over the Club’s 51 year history of hosting the Match Play and PGA Championships, Arnold Palmer, Jack Nicklaus, Gary Player, Severiano Ballesteros, Ernie Els, Nick Faldo and Rory McIlroy feature among a distinguished roll call of winners. Previously owned by Richard Caring, the Club was acquired by Reignwood Investments in September 2014, whose Chairman, Dr. Chanchai Ruayrungruang, founded Reignwood Group in 1984.
About the European Tour Foundation
The European Tour Foundation is the philanthropic arm of the European Tour and thanks to the global nature of the Tour, we have the ability to create innovative partnerships around the world. The Foundation has three guiding principles – (1) To support our player’s charitable activities, (2) To support the communities where the Tour and (3) To support the development of the global game of golf. Our aim is to create exciting projects that bring lasting change. For further information visit European Tour Foundation
About The Black Heart Foundation
The Black Heart Foundation is a charity registered in the UK and US which is dedicated to improving the educational access, quality and outcomes for children from under-privileged backgrounds, those in low resource environments, and those who are otherwise ‘at-risk’ due to poor health or nutrition, care or focus. The Foundation currently supports a number of community initiatives that provide benefits or improve educational outcomes for disadvantaged young people. The Foundation has a particular interest in children’s health and well-being, and in the use of sport to inspire and engage youth on the path to greater educational achievement.
