AN annual golf tournament which has been run for more than a quarter of a century bagged even more money for charity at its latest staging at Celtic Manor Resort.

South Wales businessman Roger Gambarini raised £12,500 through the staging of the 26th annual charity golf day in aid of St David’s Hospice Care at Celtic Manor.

The total raised over the years through the event for the Gwent-based charity now stands at an impressive £287,500.

Roger, consultant with Office Visions Ltd, who was Celtic Manor’s Twenty Ten Club captain for 2015, said: “It’s a fantastic honour and privilege for me to have been able to stage our annual golf day at Celtic Manor. It was as always a perfect setting for our annual very well supported event which allowed us to raise a considerable amount of St David’s Hospice Care.”

Among those businesses which have remained with Roger every stroke of the way over the past 26 years are MDW Haulage, Nuaire, Savills, Harding Evans Solicitors, Acorn Recruitment, R E Phillips and Partners, Newsquest, SRK, Hazell’s Haulage and Whitehead Building Services.

Roger, who staged his first golf day in 1991, has a special reason for supporting the charity.

He said: “My brother did a lot of fundraising for St David’s Hospice Care, which is why I initially began organising the golf day. However, when my father was ill in 1992, he was looked after by the nurses from the hospice, who were fantastic.

“The golf day is my way of supporting the charity that supported my family at a very difficult time. It has grown in stature over the years and is now so popular that people look forward to being involved every year. Usually we have the support of approximately 40 teams.”

Emma Saysell, chief executive of St David’s Hospice Care, said: “Roger and the team at Office Visions have provided wonderful support to St David’s Hospice Care over very many years. We know from our own experiences just how difficult it is to organise fundraising events. To keep his golf days going for 26 years is a truly amazing and commendable achievement and one for which we are all extremely grateful.”

The results from the day are as follows: 1st Nuaire; 2nd Eversheds; 3rd Fletcher Morgan, GD Environmental; 13th Scott Brownrigg; Furthest from the pin on the 6th Barrie Desmond; Furthest from the pin on the 14th Neil Brierley; Unknown prize Office visions.