Charity golf fundraiser for Bob ready to tee off

A FUNDRAISER for well-known Castlederg man, Bob Glackin, will take place next month to generate money for two cancer charities.

A charity golf tournament will start in Newtonstewart Golf Club in May, organised by Bob’s son Martin, and his sister, Bernie.

The tournament, due to take place on May 20, seeks to raise £10,000 for Care for Cancer and Marie Curie.

Martin said, “We’re doing this to raise money as a way of saying ‘thank you’ to the charities which helped my father before his death. Six years ago, my father contracted prostate cancer, which then spread to his bones. The doctors told him he might get two years but, thanks to trials he underwent to try and prolong his life, we ended up having five years with him instead. Something for which we’ll forever be grateful.”

Paying tribute to his father, Martin continued, “He was a man held in exceedingly high regard by everyone he met and everywhere he went.

“Very well-known in not only Castlederg but Newtown and Strabane, my father was heavily involved with the youth clubs and the Credit Union.”

A popular figure in the area and a dedicated family man, Bob worked in the Adria factory on Beechmount Avenue, Strabane until its closure, before moving on to McNamee’s and then McDermott’s electrical stores, where he kept working up until only a few months before his passing.

A fan of whist and a member of Derry’s Operatic Society, Bob’s major love was golf. Bob could frequently be seen getting in a round in Newtownstewart, where he became club captain, then vice-president before stepping down, and it was this love of the game which was the inspiration for the golf tournament.

Bob’s sister, Bernie, has praised the deluge of sponsorship which has come in since the tournament was organised.

“Local man Brian Earley, who now lives in San Francisco and owns Emerald Steel, was the first person to donate. Other sponsors include MacBlair, who now own McDermott’s and Castlederg’s own Liverpool starlet, Conor Bradley. MacBlair took over McDermott’s after Bob had passed away, so he never knew him, but they didn’t think twice about donating. Conor is having a framed Liverpool shirt sent over for the tournament that we can give away as a prize or raffle on the day.

“The sheer generosity of everyone can’t be quantified, it’s incredible.

“The amount of people donating, be they sponsors or just people who knew Bob, is humbling. It really shows the esteem in which he was held that so many people want to help. If we can help just one person with the money raised, then that’s all we want.”

Entry is £200 per four-person team; the fee covering tea, coffee and scones throughout the day, dinner, and a goody bag for participants.