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22 Jul 2024Birmingham golfer Jilly backs new Prostate Cancer UK golf format to help save men’s lives
“Everyone knows someone who has been touched by this disease. It felt the right thing to do.”
Having played golf for 33 years, and tournament director of the Second City Golf Tournament for nearly 15 years, Jilly Cosgrove, is a trail blazing golfing fundraiser and business woman flying the flag for Prostate Cancer UK in golf, Birmingham and beyond.
As we launch our new format golf day - Mixed Pairs Golf - and host the inaugural Prostate Cancer UK mixed pairs invitational at Little Aston on the outskirts of Birmingham this July - we wanted to celebrate one of our biggest golfing supporters. who together with the Second City Pro-Am golf committee, has helped raise over £130,000 to help fund better tests and treatments for men affected by prostate cancer.
The Second City golf tournament has been running for 57 years, having started out as a purely amateur event in the local area. It’s since morphed into a Pro-Am event where local teams - often made up from the Birmingham business community - invite a PGA Professional to compete alongside the amateur team in a golfing competition, which in the early years was held over two days.
The Second City golf tournament and Prostate Cancer UK
When Jilly was asked to join the committee, and then not long after became Tournament Director, there was an opportunity to choose a new charity partner for the event.
When I joined the committee there was the opportunity to choose a new charity partner. We just looked around and realised there’s a chance here to get a health message out to men and spread the word about prostate cancer, particularly as two golfers at Little Aston had been recently diagnosed too. Everyone knows someone who has been touched by this disease and it felt the right thing to do
Jilly’s husband has been subsequently diagnosed with prostate cancer after hearing a talk by another local golfer, and Prostate Cancer UK supporter, David Hadley-Smith. Jilly has met numerous men and women through golf affected by the disease and is keen to get more golfers talking about prostate cancer and fundraising through golf days to help stop men dying from a disease affecting 1 in 8 men in the UK.
Why have we introduced the Mixed Pairs format?
Females make up between 20-30% of UK golfers, yet when we look at those fundraising for the charity through golf that number is only 10%. Whilst females may not be directly at risk of prostate cancer the men in their lives will.
It’s why Jilly, together with a number of keen Prostate Cancer UK supporters in golf, are championing a new format for the charity - Mixed Pairs Golf- where men and women are paired together to compete in a golfing tournament raising money to save men’s lives. Golf days often have lots of great ways to fundraise including raffles, auctions, nearest the pin and longest drive competitions as well on-course fines for ending up in the bunker or the water!
We’re launching the Mixed Pairs format at an inaugural event - The Prostate Cancer UK mixed pairs invitational - also hosted at Little Aston on Wednesday 24 July 2024 - in the hope golfers across the UK will organise their own mixed pairs event next year raising money to save men’s lives. Golfers wishing to organise their own in 2025 will receive a fundraising pack including Titleist golf balls, Prostate Cancer UK tees, pencils and materials to set up their day.
I think it’s a brilliant idea and one I’m happy to support. Female golfers have an important role to play with this cause; we’ve all got partners, brothers, sons. My husband is living with prostate cancer, I’ve just lost my brother-in-law to the disease. My nephew will be my partner in this Mixed Pairs events. We can all work together to stop prostate cancer tearing families apart so I’d encourage others to take up the mantle and get involved
Find out more about hosting your own Mixed Pairs golfing event for Prostate Cancer UK, get a tailored fundraising pack and specialist support to help your day an amazing success.
