Staffordshire trio nominated for England Golf centenary prizes

Meghan Hopkins from 3 Hammers Golf Academy, Ryka Verma from South Staffordshire GC, and Maria-Tiffany Thompson from Brocton Hall GC will all be representing the region at the Midland Manchester Hotel on Tuesday 13 February.

Verma and Thompson are up for the ‘Young Volunteer of the Year’ award, while Hopkins is hoping to win the ‘Women & Girls Trailblazer’ award.

England Golf chief executive Jeremy Tomlinson said: “We’re very much looking forward to a wonderful night to celebrate 100 years of England Golf, with a great opportunity to recognise many of the wonderful volunteers in the game.

“Those who have been nominated for an award should be immensely proud of what they have achieved and while it is always a difficult task for our judging panels, we believe we have some excellent finalists and wonderful winners, as such we look forward to welcoming everyone at the centenary dinner.”

For the last three years, Maria-Tiffany Thompson has organised a Christmas-themed charity competition that has raised £2000 in support of Birmingham Children's Hospital in memory of friend Charlie Mears, who passed away at the age of 15 and who loved playing golf.

Ryka Verma has been promoting golf and the benefits it has on health and mental wellbeing, and made history by becoming the first female Junior Captain at South Staffordshire Golf Club, where she encourages peers to become well-rounded sports people.

Meghan Hopkins runs numerous golf groups at her club, with the most successful being Girls Golf Rocks (GGR) and Ladies Love Golf (LLG), encouraging the development and progress of females into the world of golf.

Shifnal GC, Shropshire, are also hoping to leave with the evening with an award.

They have been nominated in the ‘Tournament Venue of the Year’ category for their work hosting the English Girls’ under 16 and under 14 championship.