DAVE HARRISON has completed a remarkable 300 rounds of golf in the past year.

But the statistic is not merely served up to highlight a local golf club captain determined to make the most of the many opportunities to get out on the course provided by his year in office.

Instead, Dave has been a man on a mission – borne out of the personal suffering of members at Hesketh golf club or their loved ones.

The former director of the North West Development Agency has been busy raising funds for the Marina Dalglish Appeal and the Macmillan Nurses, which both seek to help those suffering from cancer.

Thanks to the support of members and staff at the Southport club, Dave’s marathon feat has been rewarded with more than £9,000 going to the Marina Dalglish charity and £6,500 to Macmillan.

The causes are both too close to home for Harrison to ignore.

“A number of members at Hesketh have suffered in the past 12 months,” he explains, “while the daughter of Jill Rogers, our Lady Captain, has also had her problems – it has been a very difficult time for a lot of people.”

The wife of Hesketh professional Scott Astin, too, is also battling cancer.

Mum-of-two Hayley, who is just 38, was diagnosed two years ago with ovarian cancer

“She is a real battler and is still fighting the disease,” explained Astin. “She is brave and a really strong character, but it is an aggressive form of cancer. It has been a tough ride but Macmillan have been a great support. It seemed the least I could do was to give something back by raising some money for them. Hayley has been on a trial drug and without the fund-raising that supports the research into cancer that would not be possible.”