GOLFERS took the fairway last week to remember a friend who died and raised more than £1,500 for charity.

The Earls Colne Golf Club hosted a charity memorial golf tournament on Friday to raise cash in the memory of David Wightman.

David, from Braintree, who died in September 2020 at the age of 65, was a keen golfer but sadly lost his battle with two bouts of cancer.

To honour David, his brother Charlie Wightman, 61, from Braintree, organised a golfing tournament in Earls Colne - the Dave Wightman Classic Invitational.

Nearly 60 of David’s friends and family gathered at the gold course to play the competition in his honour.

The tournament also aimed to raise £1,000 for the CSS Charitable Trust.

The trust is a local charity close to David which cares for children and adults in the Braintree community.

Overall, the event was able to raise a whopping £1,600 for the charity, smashing its target figure.

Golfer first teed off at around 10.30am with the days singles and teams events finishing by 5.30pm, 18 holes later.

Charlie said: “Dave was born in Braintree in 1956 and lived here all his life until he tragically lost his battle with two bouts of cancer.

“During his life he participated in many sports including Football, Basketball, Rugby and American Football but it was golf that became his passion which he played as often as he could get away with.

“After years of working within the building trade he turned his hand to managing public houses in Braintree, amongst those were Mr J’s, Flacks, The Tabor Arms, Snows Night Club and The Nags Head until his passing.

“Along the way Dave has become a very popular person with the young and old and was very supportive of individuals plights and charitable foundations, which is why the decision was made when organising his day to support the CSS Charitable Trust, a local charity very well known to Dave that cares for children and adults in the Braintree Community.”