Teeing off to support local people's mental health

February 2026

Last year, golf club captains, David Brown from Slinfold Golf Club and Sally Heath from Cowdray Park Golf Club, both chose West Sussex Mind as their charity of the year. We asked them why they chose to support our charity and about their experience fundraising for us. Here's what they said

David Brown, Slinfold Golf Club Men's Captain:

"Often in life you come across people who you think are happy and doing very well, but then you find out that behind the scenes they are going through very challenging times and are often in need of help.

"An example is someone I worked with previously. He was a wonderful mentor, leader and an all-round great person­. It was a great shock and opened my eyes to mental health issues [when I learned he was struggling]. This is why I chose to support West Sussex Mind as club captain at Slinfold Golf Club.

"The amount of golf members who came forward and opened up to me, complimenting my choice of charity, was very moving.

"With help from others at the club, we fundraised in a few different ways. We sold raffle tickets, a portion of entry tickets at events, and we even held an auction.

"Lots of golf club members contributed gifts, and a smaller number contributed large and quite significant gifts. My most memorable moment fundraising was when we auctioned off a donation of a week's stay in a villa. It was donated by a club member and went for a good amount, which I was thrilled about. The generosity and goodwill of club members has been amazing to see.

"I also reached out to some local businesses and many gave generous items to our auction. It was great getting to know them and to see how supportive they were.

"What I’ve enjoyed the most during our fundraising is helping new club members get their handicap, especially so they can play in the golf club competitions. We held a few days providing advice on members' golf etiquette and skills [as part of our fundraising efforts], which helped get everyone involved.

"Having all the members around at fundraising events has been great and doing it for a good cause is an added benefit.

"I'd like to say a big thank you to everyone who has supported me as captain at Slinfold Golf Club."

Sally Heath, Cowdray Park Golf Club Women's Captain:

"I wanted to fundraise in aid of a local charity that supported people with their mental health, a cause that is close to me personally. Therefore, I chose to fundraise in aid of West Sussex Mind.

"With help from people at the club, I primarily fundraised through raffles. Members of the club were very generous and supportive, so much so, that their generosity has been one of the most memorable aspects of being golf club captain.

"People from the club have been very willing to put their hand in their pocket and give, even if it was just something small such as buying a strip of raffle tickets. However, beyond putting their hand in their pockets, club members also helped spread the word about events and attended themselves. The support from the golf club itself has been great.

"What I've enjoyed the most as golf club captain is the social aspect. Meeting club members and socialising with them in aid of a good cause has been very rewarding.

"I’m proud of my time as ladies' golf club captain and all that was achieved. It wasn’t something that I was initially going to do, but my husband convinced me, and I've really enjoyed the experience. It’s been great.

"I would like to say thank you to Tim Allen, the golf director at Cowdray Golf Club, and everyone else at the club for supporting my chosen cause. They have all been a great support with my fundraising efforts."

If you would like to find out more about charity of the year opportunities with us, email fundraising@westsussexmind.org