STUART Collier has headed up a team of eight golfers to raise more than £14,000 for Macmillan Cancer Support when they played 72 holes in one day at Stoke Park.

The Longest Day challenge saw them energetic eight smash their target of £6.700 before they had even completed two of their four rounds of golf.

The eight included Collier, fellow pro James Jewell and club members Paul Simmonds, Steve Whelan, Hasan Abdat, Ben Keeping, Matt Pearcey and Paul Trendall.

It was the second successive year that Stoke Park representatives had taken on the challenge, which is played out across hundreds of golf courses nationwide to raise money for the charity.

Last year they raised more than £6,700 and set themselves that figure as a minimum again this year.

Collier is director of golf at Stoke Park. He explained: “My personal motivation for participating in this event comes from the support Macmillan gave to my mother who sadly lost her battle with ovarian cancer in 2001, aged 50.

"Although this was a very difficult time for all the family the help and support given by Macmillan Cancer Support nurses really made a huge difference.

Collier said: “Being able to use golf as a vehicle to raise awareness and much-needed funds for Macmillan is the perfect opportunity for us all, and acts as the perfect motivation to start playing at five in the morning.”

Pearcey was co-organiser and has also seen his life touched by cancer. He said: “Last year my father was battling this dreadful disease after a miracle fight against pancreatic cancer.

“Sadly he passed away only a few days after we were contacted by Macmillan to say that we were in the top one per cent of fundraisers for this event in the country.

"He was a keen golfer and I know he would have been very proud of what we achieved.

"He would have pushed me to do this each year for the support of the Macmillan nurses who helped both he and my mother in the final weeks of his life.”

Donations to the Stoke Park Longest Day fundraiser can still be made via a Just Giving page at www.justgiving.com/fundraising/stokepark.