The first round of the 2004 Sir Henry Cooper & Mike Reid Charity Golf Classic was held at Boavista recently. This event has been coming to the Algarve for a number of years and has always been an excellent fundraiser for UK charities.
Tony Jones, commercial director for the Emerson Group, suggested it was time to raise some much-needed cash for a local charity. He commented: “The organisers of the Charity Golf Classic have historically raised funds for UK based charities, but, this year, I thought it would be a great idea to put some money into the local ‘pot’. I suggested this to Max Morgan, managing director of MI Marketing, which promotes the event, and he generously agreed to match any donation made by Boavista.”
As a result, after just the first round, two cheques totalling 3,000 euros were presented to Praia da Luz-based NECI (Núcleo de Educação da Criança Inadaptada), a charity providing day care and education for children with learning difficulties. A delighted Dra Maria Eduarda Oliveira Santos, president of NECI, received the cheques from Max himself and Phillip Pope, managing director of Boavista Golf Resort. Dra Santos stated how grateful she was to Boavista and MI Marketing for the gift, and promised that the money would quickly be put to good use.
On the golf course, comedian Stan Boardman’s team finished 3 points ahead of the field at the end of the first round with 86 points. Stan himself was also victorious in the ‘nearest the pin’ competition at the 14th hole. Nigel Mansell’s Penina team finished in second place with Sir Henry Cooper’s Las Brisa Bandits lying in third place with 81 points.
