Genesis Scottish Open hits £1m mark with charity support

More than £1 million has been generated for charities primarily in East Lothian through the Genesis Scottish Open in association with The Renaissance Club Charitable Foundation.

The milestone figure was announced ahead of the East Lothian venue staging the event, which is now co-sanctioned by the DP World Tour and PGA Tour, for the seventh year in a row in July.

The Renaissance Club Charitable Foundation has been the event’s charity partner since 2022 and each year since then it has selected a range of organisations to receive funds.

Grant Forrest is The Renaissance Club Charitable Foundation’s Official Ambassador | Genesis Scottish Open

Recipients have ranged from well-known organisations such as My Name’5 Doddie Foundation, East Lothian Junior Golf and the Stephen Gallacher Foundation while other local organisations such as East Lothian Food Bank and the Teapot Trust have also benefited.

East Lothian resident and Renaissance Club member Grant Forrest is the TRCCF’s official ambassador and the DP World Tour player met representatives from more than 20 of this year’s recipients at a reception on Tuesday night.

“Giving back is a massive part of every event, but I think the size of the Genesis Scottish Open and the amount of money we are playing for in it and the players that are coming over for it, then I think it is even more important to show that we are giving back,” said Forrest.

“Some of the work that is going on in communities locally and across Scotland is really impressive, and what is so important about the way that TRCCF allocates the funding is that projects big and small have been able to benefit.

“I grew up in North Berwick and a couple are based there while one of the charities looked after my little niece when she was born. No matter what stage you are in life, you want those charities that have affected you or could affect you at some point in the future to benefit.

“It was quite eye-opening for me on Tuesday night to hear all the stories and it is fantastic to have such a wide array of charities being spoken about.”

The Renaissance Club Charitable Foundation Trustee Catriona Matthew presented a cheque to East Lothian Food Bank from the proceeds raised through the 2024 Genesis Scottish Open | Genesis Scottish Open

Other recipients from the 2024 event included Action for Children, Branch Out Together, Cyrenians, Edinburgh Children’s Hospital, Fife Carers Centre, Glasgow Children’s Hospital, Greenspace Trust, Home Link Family Support, Leuchie House, Maggie’s, Muirfield Riding Therapy, North Berwick Beach Wheelchairs, Our Community Kitchen, Pennypit Trust, Relay for Life Dunbar, Survivors of Human Trafficking Scotland and Wave Project Scotland.

Rory Colville, DP World Tour Championship Director for the Genesis Scottish Open, said: “The partnership between the Genesis Scottish Open and TRCCF really demonstrates how funding allocations – both big and small – can make a real difference.”