London: Golfing legend visits Depaul's new homeless centre

Gary Player - Wiki image

Gary Player, 18-time Major winner and the only international player to win the career Grand Slam, and David Mortlock, Head of Investment Banking at Berenberg, visited Depaul's new youth homelessness centre to witness first-hand how the funds raised by the annual Berenberg Gary Player Invitational pro-am charity golf event have helped support the charity.

Over the past three years, the GPI event, which brings together global golf stars and legends of the game in a union of Golf and Giving, has raised more than $500,000 (£385,000) for various beneficiaries, including Depaul, helping fund the charity's move to a new national headquarters, The Endeavour Centre at Sherborne House, in central London.

The innovative new space combines help in a crisis with support for those young people who are rebuilding their lives, as well as also providing a hub for Depaul's award-winning Nightstop service, Britain's only national network for emergency accommodation for young people.

Gary Player said: "Depaul is a wonderful charity doing a very important job in tackling homelessness in the UK and we are proud to partner with them and help extend their outreach to disadvantaged youth."

"These are the people who we need to help and give a future to, so it has been a real privilege to spend time with the team at Depaul and to see how the money raised by the Berenberg Gary Player Invitational is making such a difference to so many young people in London," added David Mortlock.

During their visit, Gary Player and David Mortlock met several young people who rely on the charity and were given a guided tour of the facilities, before taking part in some fun activities.

Suzanne McCarthy, Chair of Depaul UK, added: "The ongoing support we have received from both Gary Player and Berenberg since 2014 has been invaluable and has helped enable us to take another giant step towards achieving our goal of ensuring no young person ever has to sleep in an unsafe place."

Part of the world leading Gary Player Invitational series, which has helped The Player Foundation raise more than $63 million for global charitable causes, the annual event staged on the Gary Player-designed Edinburgh Course at Wentworth Club will take place this year on July 23 and July 24.

Competitors from the men's game taking part in the 2017 event will include tournament host Gary Player, Fred Couples, Branden Grace, Bernhard Langer, Colin Montgomerie, Martin Kaymer, Sir Bob Charles, Tom Watson, Trevor Immelman, Thomas Björn, Charl Schwartzel, Jamie Donaldson, Matteo Manassero, Padraig Harrington, Tom Lehman, and Jonathan Thomson.

From the women's game, Georgia Hall, Mel Reid, Maria Parra Luque, Joanna Klatten, Emma Cabrera-Bello, Carly Booth, Olivia Cowan, Maria Verchenova, Caroline Martens, Alex Peters, Annabel Dimmock and Caroline Masson also will participate.

In addition to the United Kingdom, annual events are staged by Black Knight International in Abu Dhabi, Japan, USA, China and South Africa.