A £1,000 donation from Fibrus Broadband’s Play It Forward Fund suits Dunnerholme Golf Club’s thriving junior section in Askam-in-Furness to a tee.

The junior section at Dunnerholme, a 10-hole golf course, with 18 different tee positions, that has been part of the local landscape since 1905, was reinstated in April 2021, shortly after the Covid lockdowns eased. 

Volunteer junior organiser Irene Brough recalls a memorable first evening.

“It was a lovely sunny night and 14 children turned up,” she says.

“Our then captain, Mr Hendley, gave a speech recalling when he was a junior and how he played down there with his family.

“It was just a wonderful night.”

By the following week, 16 children attended, and the section has gone from strength to strength ever since.

The club now caters for youngsters aged seven to 17, with more than 70 juniors registered.

Around 30 attend weekly sessions during the main season, which runs from April to September on Monday evenings.

The club has worked hard to maintain momentum through the winter months.

“If kids stop doing things, that’s when they’re not going back,” Irene explains.

Indoor coaching has become a key part of the programme, allowing juniors to keep learning skills, socialising and staying active even when the playing conditions are unsuitable.

This is where Full Fibre broadband provider Fibrus has made a significant impact.

The £1,000 grant from its Play It Forward Fund has been split between new junior golf clubs and equipment, and the hire of indoor facilities such as sports halls and driving ranges.

“It’s made a massive difference,” says Irene.

“The children get to still play golf and meet regularly rather than it stopping through the winter months.”

During the winter, the juniors use Furness College’s sports hall for indoor coaching with specialist weighted clubs designed for safe indoor use, as well as putting mats and fun skill-based activities. 

They also travel to Ulverston’s driving range in the early months of the year, and plans are under way to use golf simulators at Furness Academy for more advanced coaching.

Providing equipment is another vital part of keeping the section inclusive.

Golf can be an expensive sport, and Dunnerholme ensures that cost is not a barrier.

“We provide clubs for the youngsters. They can use those until they decide they’d like their own set,” says Irene who has been involved with the golf club since 2013 and whose own grandchildren now play.

With numbers growing, the Fibrus funding has helped the club keep up with demand, including for left-handed clubs.

The junior section also offers competitive and social opportunities.

Dunnerholme entered the regional Sixes competition in its second year and now fields two teams annually, competing against clubs in Barrow and Ulverston. 

“The last two years, our green team actually won it,” Irene says.

“It’s unbelievable really. It’s great to see the friendships forming, the camaraderie, the respect.”

Some juniors have gone on to gain handicaps, join county academy training and even represent Cumbria, but Irene is clear that success is about more than results.

“You can see some friendships forming and skills, which will be with them for life,” she says.

Looking ahead, the club is planning another away day and a trip to the Women’s Open at Royal Lytham, giving juniors the chance to see elite players up close.

“I think it’s been absolutely wonderful what Fibrus have done for the area and for the club,” Irene says.

“We appreciate it very, very much. It’s all for the juniors, and they will really benefit from it.”

Linda McMillan, Chief People Officer of Fibrus, said: “It is a privilege for us to be able to support Dunnerholme Golf Club’s junior players and to see the benefits our funding brings to young people in the local community.

“We can hope that one of them will go on to win one of golf’s major tournaments, but, even if they don’t, they will have a lifelong love of this great sport.”