Group Effort (photo above)– Goswick Links Junior Captain Thibaut MacLennan (holding cheque) isjoined by some of his peers who helped raise funds throughout 2025 in supportof the Great North Children’s Hospital Foundation.
Thibaut MacLennan might not be the biggest member of Goswick Links’ thriving Junior Section. But this year, there’s no doubt he’s had the biggest impact.
Thibaut served as Junior Captain this season, the third such aspiring player to earn that distinction since the club restored the tradition in 2023. At the start of this year, he noticed that the Club Captain and Ladies Captain both traditionally choose a charity to sponsor and then look for opportunities throughout their reign to raise money to support those organisations.
“It seemed like a really good thing to do. So I thought, ‘Why can’t I do that, too?’” Thibaut said. “I wanted to pick a charity that helps children and supports Berwick-upon-Tweed. So I chose the Great North Children’s Hospital Foundation.”
Thibaut had no idea how receptive Goswick members and visitors would be to the idea, so he set a modest goal of raising £1,000 by the end of the season. When it was all said and done, he was able to present the foundation with a cheque for £2,300.
Two fundraising initiatives, in particular, helped drive that remarkable success.
The first was a 54-Hole Challenge, where Goswick juniors committed to playing as many as three rounds of golf in just one day — Monday 26th of May — and then securing sponsorships from adults inspired to support them. The juniors also set a performance target to post a cumulative score of 275, selecting the lowest score recorded on each hole. They eclipsed that by an impressive 41 shots while generating more than £1,500 in donations.
The second event was a variation on the often-popular car wash theme, but this time offering to clean players’ clubs as they made the turn from the front to the back nine or at the conclusion of their round at Goswick. Instead of a set fee for the service, the juniors asked their customers to donate whatever they thought was appropriate. Additional funds were generated by selling cakes baked by the juniors the night before, including hole-in-one decorated cupcakes.
In addition, Thibaut solicited donations during the Goswick Open in May — attaching a sign to an old golf club and then standing near the entrance to the clubhouse to engage as many people as possible.
Most of the fundraising was funnelled through a Just Giving web page that Thibaut built with guidance from Goswick Junior organisers Sandra McGonigle and Peter Oliver. That page remains active to this day.
Not surprisingly, the Great North Children’s Hospital Foundation was very grateful for Thibaut’s initiative and follow through.
“Your support makes a real difference for the many children and their families who come to the hospital for treatment and care, making their hospital experience the best it possibly can be,” wrote Campaign Officer Emma McQuitty in a letter to Thibaut. “Thank you for being an important part of the team and a key part of our growing impact.”
“As Junior Captain this year, Thibaut has proved himself to be an enterprising, thoughtful and inspiring young man,” said Junior organizer Sandra McGonigle. “His fundraising efforts have not only resulted in an amazing total for his chosen charity but initiated what will hopefully become a regular part of the Goswick Junior calendar.”
“Thibaut has excelled in his role as Junior Captain,” added Junior organiser Peter Oliver. “He has brought all the qualities we seek to instil in all our juniors. He has shown increased confidence, organisational skills, determination to succeed, honesty and fairness, as well as the ability to bring together other juniors in fund raising and team competitions. He has spoken clearly and confidently to groups of juniors and adults alike. A clear benchmark for other juniors to attempt to emulate.”
"I am very proud of what we have all achieved and would like to say a big thank-you to everyone who has supported the fundraising — the juniors, mums and dads, the members, the staff at the club and especially Sandra and Peter and all of the Juniors Section organisers,” Thibaut said.
Looking ahead to 2026, Thibaut is determined to continue to lower his handicap and play in more competitions as just one of Goswick’s many juniors. But he’s happy to help whoever follows in his footsteps as the next Junior Captain.
“I will still try to help where I can,” he said. “I can pass on the things I’ve learned this year. I hope they, too, choose a charity and raise money to support it. It’s helped me to appreciate that there’s a lot more to golf than just playing the game.”