Chichester man organises golf day at Goodwood to raise funds for PTSD charity

Simon was diagnosed with PTSD three years ago having been involved as a rear seat passenger in a serious head-on car collision on the A27 near Arundel in June 2019. He suffered life-changing injuries to his left leg, hip, ribs and spleen and has undergone six major operations to date, with more anticipated in the future.

After a month in hospital, with significant help from the team at Fontwell Physio, Simon has spent the last 3.5 years learning to walk again. Now it’s time for his biggest challenge to date. In October 2023, he is planning to play and walk unaided around Goodwood Golf Club for the first time since the crash, a distance of approximately 9km.

Simon will complete the challenge on the Park Course at Goodwood with a small, select group of well-wishers at the end of September and a few days later, on 5th October, he has invited 72 people from around the world to join him for a day of golf and fundraising on the adjacent Downs Course. “I’ve been overwhelmed with the support I’ve received from the Goodwood Estate, friends and family who have donated prizes that we will raffle off to raise money for the charity.

“I have been lucky enough to play in a lot of prestigious corporate golf days in the past, both in the UK and internationally. Although this event is primarily just being attended by my own network of friends, I want it to feel like a really professionally run event, so there has been a lot of work happening behind the scenes. There are some fun and ‘different’ elements to the day and there may even be a couple of surprise guest appearances.”

PTSD is a condition which some people develop after experiencing a trauma in their life such as a road traffic accident, bereavement, personal assault, natural disaster, miscarriage, traumatic childbirth, being bullied, sexual violence, childhood abuse, domestic abuse or fire. It’s estimated that in any given week in the UK, 4 in 100 people have Post Traumatic Stress Disorder – this equates to 2,612,000 people in the UK, yet it’s still an incredibly misunderstood, and still relatively unknown condition.

“After the amazing help I’ve received from the various hospital staff, Fontwell Physio team and the therapists at Psychology Sussex (who have been treating me specifically for the PTSD symptoms), I felt like I had taken a lot out of the system and wanted to give something back. As a sufferer of PTSD, I really understand the support required to deal with the traumatic flashbacks of a car crash, distressing nightmares, interrupted sleep, exhaustion, sense of saturation and feeling overwhelmed by day-to-day life created by this condition.”

Jacqui Suttie, Founder and CEO of PTSD UK added: “We’re in awe of all of our supporters and their dedication to the fundraisers they organise. Not only does the fundraising help support our mission to support everyone affected by PTSD and C-PTSD, no matter the trauma that caused it, it can really help with raising awareness of the condition which is vital. We’re incredibly grateful to Simon for all his dedication is organising this exciting day, and wish him all the best for his personal challenge day too!”

Not only have Simon’s friends and family rallied around him to support the Golf Day, but local and national businesses such as Jet2.com, Gleneagles, Fontwell Physiotherapy, Golf Traveller, Infinitum Golf, Golfbidder, The Goodwood Estate, Land Rover Experience, Lodge Farm Kitchen, Butlers Restaurant, Arundel, Nespresso, Ebony Jewellers Chichester, Virgin Experiences have supported him through sponsorship and donation of raffle prizes.

Tickets for the event are now all sold out, but if you’d like to support Simon by way of sponsorship, you can do so here.