Four teenagers recently proved that you don’t need to jump out of planes, walk the Great Wall of China, or scale Mount Everest to raise money for Saint Francis Hospice.

Tom Clements, Jack Carter, Tom Lowe and Max O’Shea –15, 15, 16 and 17 respectively — kept their feet firmly on the ground. 

The quartet from Havering loves playing golf. They’re known as the ‘Lost Ball Retrieval Society’ (the LBRS) after spending many a happy hour looking for stray golf balls in the bushes surrounding Upminster Golf Club.

The idea was simple: play 72 holes. The time was long: 17 hours. The result was tremendous: £700 for the Hospice’s patients.

They started at 5:30am and finished at 7:30pm with eight fatigued legs.

‘Knowing the donations were going to the Hospice is what drove us on,’ explained Max. 

The boys had some advice for anyone considering fundraising for the charity: ‘Think of something you love doing,’ they all agreed.

Since their epic round of golf, the Hospice’s Hospice at Home team has begun caring for Tom Lowe’s nan, who is 89 and living with breast, bone, and lung cancer.

‘We’ve always supported the Hospice,’ revealed Lorraine Lowe, a very proud mum. ‘If you live in Havering, it’s likely that you’ll need their help at some point. It turned out that we did. Thanks to the Hospice, Tom’s nan can be looked after at her home, which is where she wants to be.’

Our Family Support team has also been providing psychological support for the Lowe family.

If you have a fundraising idea – no matter how small – then Saint Francis Hospice is there to support you every step of the way. You can register your event here, email fundraising@sfh.org.uk, or call the team on 01708 771431.