Middlesbrough Golf Clubs’ 2025 captains, Alan Clifton and Val Hall, have presented a donation of £4,769.24 to Marie Blyth and Anita Armstrong of the Bungalow Partnership.
The Bungalow Partnership – a small charity based in Middlesbrough – is powered by a team of therapists, wellbeing practitioners and consultants who help alleviate the pain and worries of many local children, young people and families. The team reaches young people in the places they feel safe and familiar with. At times this support can focus on the most vulnerable young people, those who may not be in school and whose anxiety restricts their access to education and social opportunities, and ultimately their mental health and wellbeing. These children and young people can often be invisible and overlooked, and their families can feel isolated and overwhelmed.
Marie Blythe, director of the Bungalow Project, said: “When we were approached by Alan and Val, we were blown away to be considered for the captains’ charity of the year and little did we know what this partnership would mean for us as a team and for the families we support.
“Through fundraising events throughout the year, we had the pleasure of getting to know Alan, Val and many of the wonderful members of Middlesbrough Golf Club. Their genuine interest in the work of the Bungalow Partnership and the kindness and generosity that they shared with us made this partnership feel more than a fundraising venture – it was an investment in the work of the charity and in making a real difference to the lives of local children and young people.
“Across the year, Middlesbrough Golf Club raised a whopping £4,769.24. Anita and I were blown away to be presented with such a significant contribution to our charity, and it was a delight to then share this fantastic news with the Bungalow team. It is, however, the children, young people and families that will feel the real benefit of this donation. This amazing donation will help us to support more young people, and it will help us to provide therapeutic opportunities and consultancy that will make a timely and significant difference to the isolation many of our children experience. It will support us to be creative in our approach to supporting young people back into education and to offer a lifeline to those who haven’t yet found their place in society and just need someone alongside them to take the first step to the life they deserve.
“Every raffle ticket, every charity golf game, every dinner dance ticket, and every donation has made these outcomes possible and on behalf of our trustees, the Bungalow team, and especially our young people and families, we’d like to say a huge thanks to everyone at Middlesbrough Golf Club for supporting our work. A special thanks goes to Alan and Val – who never stopped supporting the charity in their roles as captains, and who we know worked hard both behind the scenes and very much upfront at all the fundraising events that they organised.
“It has been an honour to have been Middlesbrough Golf Club’s charity of 2025. Together we have scored a hole-in-one for those who need support the most.”
