Why one group of friends keeps swinging into action for their Longest Day golf challenge

For the past decade, Paul Charnock has brought together a group of friends to take on a 72-hole golfing challenge, raising funds for charities close to their hearts. 

For the last two years, they’ve supported Walking With The Wounded, raising vital funds to help veterans get back on track and moving forward. As the team took on the challenge once again this year as part of our Longest Day campaign, Paul summed it up in three words – Resilience, Purpose and Camaraderie.

Paul’s history with the charity goes back even further, with his initial support starting when he took part in the Cumbrian Challenge. Over time, he wanted to find another way to support and get others involved, which is where the idea for the golf day came from.

For Paul, the motivation is simple: “Knowing the money we raise genuinely helps people who’ve given so much is great and it feels good to be part of it.”

Even after completing it nine times, spending over 12 hours on the course is still tough. Paul says the mix of the day and what it represents is the motivation for organising the event year on year. “It’s a long, tough day, but that’s part of the appeal. At the same time, it’s grown from just an idea into something that gives people another way to support the charity, which is really rewarding. There’s always a great atmosphere on the day, and that keeps you coming back.” 

Thanks to the determination of the team, even the unpredictable British weather doesn’t put a dampener on their day. One of Paul’s favourite memories is the year a thunderstorm forced them to suspend play for several hours. 

“It broke the rhythm and made it feel even tougher getting back out there again, but we did, and we were still having a laugh about it. It also gave us a bit of time to stop and reflect on why we were doing it in the first place, which made it even more meaningful. Moments like that really sum the day up.”

On 12 June, Paul and his team geared up once again to take on their epic golfing challenge as part of our Longest Day campaign, which encourages people to push themselves whilst raising funds to support our work with veterans. Paul is encouraging others to sign up and take on their own Longest Day challenge, “Just give it a go. It’s tough, no doubt about it, but that’s what makes it worthwhile.”

If you’re interested in combining golf with fundraising but aren’t ready to take on 72-holes, our own WWTW Golf Day is taking place in Norwich on Thursday 25 June. Limited spaces and sponsorship opportunities are available.