Golf day in memory of Hartlepool man raises over £15,000 for potentially life-saving heart screenings in North East
An annual golf day in memory of a young Hartlepool man who died of sudden cardiac arrest raised more than £15,000.
More than 100 golfers came together at Wynyard Golf Club for the second Dan Cook Memorial Golf Day.
The event was held in memory of Dan Cook, from Hartlepool, who died suddenly from a cardiac arrest aged just 33 in 2024.
It raised an incredible £15,000-plus that will help fund potentially life-saving heart screenings for young people across the North East.
Dan’s mum Lesley said: “We are completely overwhelmed by the support we received for our second Dan Cook Memorial Golf Day.
“To see more than 100 people come together to remember Dan, have fun and raise such an incredible amount of money means more to us than we can put into words.”
The golf day was a huge success with players enjoying a full day of golf, competitions, games, food, drinks, prizes and, most importantly, the opportunity to remember Dan and support his legacy.
His family and friends have been determined to turn their devastating loss into something positive by raising money to help prevent other families experiencing the same heartbreak.
The money raised will support the Dan Cook Memorial Fund with the charity Cardiac Risk in the Young (CRY), with the aim of funding heart screenings for young people aged 14 to 35 in the local community.
Lesley added: “Losing Dan suddenly at just 33 has changed our lives forever. We cannot bring him back, but we can try to make something positive come from the most devastating experience of our lives.
“Every pound raised takes us another step closer to funding heart screenings for young people in our local area.
“If just one screening identifies a young person at risk and potentially saves a life, then everything we are doing in Dan’s memory will be worthwhile.”
The family’s wider fundraising campaign is part of their mission to increase awareness of sudden cardiac death in young people and the importance of identifying potentially undiagnosed heart conditions.
They thanked all the golfers, sponsors, businesses, prize donors, volunteers and everyone else who contributed to making the golf day such a success.
Dan’s family are now looking ahead to their next fundraising challenges and continuing their campaign in his memory.