Retired Leighton Buzzard bookmaker Geoffrey Dimmock has been back on the charity fund-raising trail, donating £5,577 to help altzheimers sufferers.

Geoff, who in June received the British Empire Medal awarded by Her Majesty the Queen in the New Year Honours for services to the local community, brought his fund-raising total to over £80,000.

A life-long member of the Leighton Buzzard community, Geoff has donated every penny of his fund raising activities to local and national charities helping the young, the elderly, the sick and the needy.

Geoff, 79, raised the money for worthy causes with an annual golf-charity day and other activities at Leighton’s Plantation Road golf club where he has been a member for 30 years. He also organises a group of golfers affectionately known as the ‘Plum Duffs’ raising money at weekly events as well as the annual charity day:

Boosted by contributions from friends, playing colleagues and local businesses, Geoff donated every penny to organisations including MENCAP, CLIC Sargent which helps children with cancer and leukaemia, the Leighton Otters swimming club, cancer patient care and research, altzheimers and heart and liver charities as well as hospitals and other organisations which help sick and elderly people.

Supported at every event by wife Pam who he met at infant school in Linslade and married 57 years ago, Geoff left school at the age of 15, had several jobs before becoming a Unigate milkman and  later a turf accountant, managing his own business for 30 years before retiring in 2003.

While sport has played a major role in Geoff’s life, his passion for golf was ignited over 30 years ago, since which time he has won numerous competitions despite using only four clubs for his regular rounds on the Plantation Road course. He has hit 10 holes-in-one, his latest being a 150-yard ace on Leighton’s 14^th on September 7.

More than 130 golf enthusiasts supported his latest charity day won by Brian Wilson with 45 points, with Chris Ive and Len Neal a shot adrift. Other top ten finishers were: 43pts – David Vaughan and Steve Light; 42pts – Abe Plummer and Simon Alder; 41pts – John Allinson, Peter Townley and Jason Brooks

Other prize winners were Kevin O’Donoghue, Peter Morgan, David Evans, Phil Coumbes, Darran Valentine, Andrew McDonald, Steve Light, John Latimer and Tom Day.

Top lady was Virginia Gillett with 42pts; Christine Rimmer runner-up with 39pts, a shot clear of third-placed Lesley Bednarek.    

Says Geoff, who was presented with the British Empire Medal by HM Lord-Lieutenant of Bedfordshire, Helen Nellis at a special ceremony at Luton Hoo in July accompanied by wife Pam and sons Stephen and Paul: “Even in these difficult times, people and local businesses have been very generous.  I thank them all for their support.”