Caddies at the venue for the 149th Open have raised £8,000 for a hospital.

The workers at the Royal St George’s Golf Club in Sandwich displayed a giant cheque with Sky Sport’s golf pundit, Nick Dougherty.

The money is for the Alzheimer's ward of Deal's Victoria Hospital and will formally be handed over after the tournament ends on Sunday.

The caddies not only spent the last three years preparing for the competition's return to Sandwich, they also fundraised by

contributing £1 a for every bag accrued into a special charity fund.

The Victoria, in London Road, is a small community hospital, offering urgent treatment services and in-patient care on the Elizabeth ward, with 26 beds.

Caddiemaster Sean Meleady said: “My wife works at the Victoria as a case officer, and like every part of the NHS, the team there have done a fantastic job supporting the local community over the past 17 months.

“It’s great for the Club and the caddie community at Royal St. George’s to be able to give something back.

"We are also grateful for Nick for giving up his time to accept the donation on their behalf, as the Covid arrangements make it difficult for them to be here this week.”

Organisers of The Open the R&A (Royal & Ancient) have provided 1,500 tickets to NHS workers in Kent for today (Thursday) , the first day of the Championship.

This is in recognition of their work during the pandemic and the support of The Open by the local health authorities.

It has been allowed by NHS Kent and Medway Clinical Commissioning Group to reach NHS workers across the county.

Read more: All the latest news from Sandwich

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