A GREENOCK teenager teamed up with three pals to take on a marathon golf challenge for a cancer charity that cared for his grandfather.
Lucas Wagstaff, a 16-year-old Clydeview Academy pupil, raised more than £1,500 for Macmillan in memory of his grandad, Lawrence Clarke, by playing more than 14 hours of golf non-stop.
The determined fundraiser walked roughly 22 miles in one day with his friends Ben Duffy (16), Nathan Love (17), and Angus Dunnet (16), with the latter two also playing in memory of loved ones.
Lucas Wagstaff and his grandfather Lawrence Clarke. (Image: Contributed)
Lucas said the fantastic care the charity provided his grandad was the reason he was driven to undertake the challenge at Routenburn Golf Course in Largs.
He said: “My granda was diagnosed with terminal cancer and was given a year and a half but it ended up being just less than a year.
“It was the Macmillan nurses who were there to care for him and make his last weeks as enjoyable as possible.
“They were so caring and compassionate for us, and they totally understood what we were going through.”
(Image: Contributed)
After his diagnosis, the nurses played a vital role in helping the pair continue to bond.
Lucas said: “My granda loved watching me do was playing golf, and they were the ones that made it happen.
“After the care he got and the love they showed to him, he would have expected that to go right back to them.
“Doing the fundraiser is just a way of paying them back and that’s what he would have wanted.”
Lucas described his grandfather as someone who loved his family and having a laugh.
Lucas said while Lawrence wasn’t one for playing golf, he loved to watch it and discuss it him.
Despite the boys being dedicated golfers the task was no easy feat.
He said: “We set a couple of alarms for about half four and then my dad was the one that got up in the morning to run us.
“We were at the course at about 6am and then it was around 14 and a half hours on the move, and then that was us done.
“The distance was almost a marathon and it’s a very steep course, you’re walking uphill and downhill, and we ended up climbing 111 floors.
(Image: Contributed)
“The last round was the hardest one, I’d say. We’ve got a cracking picture of Angus on the 17th tee box just lying flat out – just done in.”
Lucas gave a huge thanks to everyone who donated to his fundraiser. While he has messaged as many as he can, there are so many people to get around and some donations are made anonymously.
He added: “I loved a lot of the comments. People were saying how great of a cause it was, and some people left their experience in it as well. It was really, really nice to see.”