Pints for Pinder

Darrington Golf Club will be the site of a heart-warming gathering of golfing friends old and new on May 20th, raising money in

memory of a much-missed dad and husband.

Lloyd Pinder won the inaugural outing of South Milford’s Thacker’s Hackers golf society in 2019, a typical gathering of both club members and occasional golfers.

That first outing was staged at Knaresborough, with plans to visit five or six courses a year for the collection of regular and occasional golfers. Lloyd was a Rudding Park member but by no means typical of his fellow Hackers. Three years earlier he had been diagnosed with stage-4 prostate cancer. He was 46. He died in September 2020, aged just 49.

Lloyd left his wife Tina and two young daughters, Lola and Gracie, but he also left a magnificent legacy that will spring to life again at Darrington when his many friends and admirers gather to celebrate ‘Pints For Pinder’ and raise thousands for Prostate Cancer UK.

Lloyd’s long-time friend Matthew Roe explained the background. “Lloyd was everybody’s friend,” he said. “Just a great guy, who gave his all to everything he did. He loved his sport and when he got his diagnosis, he put everything into fighting it, and to helping the fight against prostate cancer.”

Lloyd ended up befriending Prostate Cancer UK campaigner Jeff Stelling of Sky Sports and raised thousands through both his own efforts and helping others’ fundraisers. When he died, the tv presenter paid tribute to him on air. Although funerals in 2020 had limited numbers, Jeff Stelling attended and the streets of South Milford were lined by friends paying tribute.

Matthew added: “We thought we had to carry on Lloyd’s work, so last year we thought we’d stage a golf day to try maybe raise £1,000. We made £9,000.”

Darrington promises to be every bit as successful – and more – with Lloyd’s former employers Club Insure donating £5,000 to get the ball rolling. What’s more the Stoneacre motor group, owners of Darrington Golf Club, are putting up a new car as hole-in-one prize.

There’s a dedicated website for anyone interested in helping out, whether by entering themselves, a team, sponsoring a hole, or contributing in some other way. Go to www.pintsforpinder.com to learn more about Lloyd’s story and read tributes from his friend Jeff Stelling.

Just don’t be surprised by the ‘Pink’ theme – Lloyd’s nickname – or by the fact the Nike logo on his golf club is back-to-front. Lloyd sported just one such tattoo. The wrong way round.

For information, prostate cancer in the UK kills one man every hour.