Pair ready to tee off on challenge
TWO amateur golfers will compete three rounds in three countries in a day to raise funds for a heartscreening charity
Steve Haw, founder of Vital Signs Foundation, will take on the challenge alongside one of the charity’s supporter’s, Chris Kendall.
The pair will tee off in Scotland at about 5.30am, before driving 170 miles for the second round in Wales, and then on to the final round in Cheshire.
In total, the challenge is expected to last about 14 hours.
VSF was set up by Steve in 2010 after the death of his son, Christopher, from a sudden cardiac arrest at the age of just 25. He was a fit and healthy young man but he had an undiagnosed heart condition.
Steve, a former firefighter and now Southport FC general manager, started the charity to offer heart screening to people aged between 15 and 35 to detect similar conditions.
It is the only charity in the country to offer free screenings.
The charity holds an annual golf tournament and in 2017’s event, Chris offered the idea as his way of supporting the cause.
Steve, agreed to join in the challenge and the pair will take on the challenge on Friday, June 8 to raise money towards allowing the charity to purchase its own echocardiogram.
The machine, which allows a full scan of the heart, costs £35,000 but will save VSF from having to pay to rent the same equipment at future scans.
Steve said: “It was Chris’s idea, he supports the charity and last year he said he wanted to do a challenge.
“For my sins. I said; ‘I’ll join you’. I think it’s a good idea, it’s challenging and I’m really keen to support him. At a lot of charities, especially the bigger ones, the trustees might not get involved but we want to do that.”
So far, VSF has carried out free screening on more than 1,800 young people, with 4% of those finding defects that may not otherwise have been uncovered and could potentially have been fatal.
To find out more, visit VSF. org.uk and to sponsor Chris and Steve, visit www.justgiving. com/ fundraising/ stevehaw