The ABG group will be getting our walking shoes on this spring – for a fundraiser with a difference.

On Saturday April 29th, the whole group will be going on a sponsored walk – but with a few wheelchairs to experience the difficulties experienced by those who rely on them for their independence and mobility.

The fundraiser is being held to help raise money for the club’s former chairman, towards raising £25,000 for a specialised golf wheelchair to enable him to play golf again.

In 2020, after raking leaves in his garden, Darren Bovis felt a pain in his back. What started as a twinge led to him losing all feeling in his legs two days later and becoming paralysed from the waist down.

Caused by a disc compressing his spine, Darren has been unable to enjoy golf since his injury – but the ParaGolf kit will give him the ability to play again; because the specialised wheelchair is designed for golf course terrain, plus it can stand Darren up safely and with stability to play a shot.

Members will set off from Chestfield Golf Club, Whitstable, in the morning for a 5-mile circular walk, returning to the club to meet Darren and have lunch.

We’ll be taking wheelchairs with us, to experience the route and understand the difficulties Darren has previously explained to us – poor road surfaces making moving the wheelchair difficult or at other times, impossible; safety, crossing the road, access or size of footpaths and pavements.

We’re hoping to raise £10,000 towards Darren’s ProGolf kit.