| As it celebrates its 10th anniversary as an independent charity, Leuchie House will benefit from a range of fundraising activities during tournament week, as some of the world’s leading golfers including U.S. Open Champion and World Number One Jon Rahm and Major winners Rory McIlroy, Collin Morikawa and Justin Thomas tee it up in North Berwick.
The fundraising will include a Birdie Pledge from title sponsor abrdn and the European Tour of £15 per birdie and £100 per eagle made across the four tournament days. It is part of the ‘Every Birdie Counts’ campaign which runs throughout 2021 under the umbrella of the European Tour’s Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) programme, Golf for Good.
UNICEF will be the sole charitable beneficiary of the ‘Every Birdie Counts’ campaign across the entire European Tour season, but at the four Rolex Series events, nominated charities such as Leuchie House will benefit separately.
Leuchie House is Scotland’s only dedicated respite centre offering caring respite breaks to people with long term neurological conditions, including multiple sclerosis, Parkinson’s and motor neurone disease. Leuchie House is able to support people with many different conditions to have fulfilling, revitalising breaks, while giving their carers time away from caring.
Situated in East Lothian, just a few miles from the abrdn Scottish Open venue, Leuchie House previously benefitted from charitable funds raised at the tournament in 2018 and 2019. This facilitated modernisation of a range of facilities and services, including the construction of state-of-the-art wet rooms, transformation of shared bedrooms and the installation of new boilers.
Investment was also made in the building’s broadband and wi-fi infrastructure, computers, and emergency call and care planning systems.
During the height of the Covid-19 pandemic in Scotland, Leuchie House quickly re-provisioned as a step-down service for the NHS, welcoming people who were in hospital but did not require immediate treatment, providing a reassuring environment and freeing up hospital beds which were urgently needed. The charity continues to welcome guests to a Covid safe respite experience.
Mark Bevan, CEO of Leuchie House, said: “We are thrilled to once again be the Official Charity of the 2021 abrdn Scottish Open. The tremendous support received from the hosts, organisers, players and spectators in previous years has been transformational for Leuchie. It has allowed us to invest in our service and facilities for the benefit of families from across Scotland living with the long-term effects of a neurological condition. Following the immense challenges faced over the last year, the need for respite has never been greater and this year’s funds will help the families we support recover from the impact of the pandemic with a much-needed break and support.”
Rory Colville, Championship Director of the abrdn Scottish Open, said: “We are delighted to once again partner with Leuchie House as the Official Charity of the abrdn Scottish Open, as they celebrate their tenth year as an independent charity. It has been fantastic to see funds raised during previous editions of the tournament making a meaningful difference to both the services provided at Leuchie House and the building itself. It is such an important charity in the local area and beyond, as demonstrated by its re-provisioning during the Covid-19 pandemic, as those in need continued to benefit from exceptional care and support.”
Simon Bailey, Head of Brand at abrdn, said: “We take pride in our efforts to support community initiatives alongside our sponsorships, and we are thrilled to have Leuchie House on board again as the official event charity of the abrdn Scottish Open. We are pleased to be working alongside the European Tour to fundraise for such a great cause via our Birdie pledge, and I look forward to watching plenty of birdies roll in over the course of the event.”
Paul Bush, Director of Events at VisitScotland, said: “It is pleasing to see such a worthy cause as Leuchie House named as the Official Charity of the 2021 abrdn Scottish Open. Events and tourism are a powerful force for good and it is humbling to see charitable initiatives such as this help make a meaningful difference in local communities.”
Since being established as an independent charity in 2011, Leuchie House has provided 4,267 respite breaks, supported more than 1,000 families, provided 39,510 respite nights and 5,380 respite days, provided care for more than 35 different conditions and raised over £10million through donations and grants.
In 2021, the European Tour launched a season-long campaign to support UNICEF’s target to deliver two billion COVID-19 vaccine doses globally. Through the ‘Every Birdie Counts’ campaign, the Tour’s overarching Golf for Good initiative will contribute to the child rights agency’s global role in delivering vaccines for the COVAX Facility.
UNICEF will be the sole charitable beneficiary of the ‘Every Birdie Counts’ campaign across the entire European Tour season, outside of the four Rolex Series events, where charities nominated by tournament sponsors and partners of the Abu Dhabi HSBC Championship, abrdn Scottish Open, BMW PGA Championship and the DP World Tour Championship, will also benefit.
Golf for Good
is the umbrella name for the European Tour’s overarching Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) programme, which embraces three main pillars:
Support for Worthy Causes and communities where the Tour plays:
The main charitable focus within this area is the ‘Every Birdie Counts’ campaign. UNICEF are the sole charitable beneficiary of the ‘Every Birdie Counts’ campaign across the entire year, outside of the four Rolex Series events where charities nominated by tournament sponsors and partners of the Abu Dhabi HSBC Championship, the Aberdeen Standard Investments Scottish Open, the BMW PGA Championship and the DP World Tour Championship will also benefit.
Sustainability:
Centred around the European Tour’s Green Drive initiative which was launched on June 5 to coincide with World Environment Day. This initiative reaffirms our strengthened commitment to sustainability with a vision for the Tour to become a showcase for social and environmental responsibility, delivering net positive impacts around the world.
Inclusivity, Diversity and Health:
Embraces the European Tour Golfers with Disability initiative and the ‘Golf for All’ messaging, in addition to promoting the many wider health benefits of golf |
