The world’s biggest all-female golfing event will raise crucial sums for a Tayside domestic abuse charity, it has emerged.
The Solheim Cup comes to Gleneagles later this year, pitting a team of Europe’s top female golfers against their US counterparts.
The biennial tournament is expected to be a major uplift for the local economy, while attracting a global TV audience in the hundreds of millions.
Now organisers have announced that the event will also deliver a significant boost to a local charity that provides lifeline support to women across Perth and Kinross.
Perthshire Women’s Aid (PWA) has been named as one of just two charity partners for September’s games.
The charity was nominated by Perth and Kinross Council and Gleneagles. The national charity was named as Glasgow-based Action for Children.
Interim manager for PWA Heather Williams said: “We believe this will be a fantastic platform to ensure a wide audience are aware of the life changing services we offer to women, children and young people with experience of domestic abuse.
“Having the opportunity to be involved in an event which celebrates women’s sporting achievements fits with PWA’s vision of an equal society where women and girls live lives free from abuse.”
The group was nominated by SNP Highland councillor Mike Williamson.
“This nomination will not only raise awareness of domestic abuse, it will send out a powerful message that this behaviour is unacceptable in 21st Century Scotland,” he said.
“My personal hope is that this partnership creates a firm basis for outreach work that can be established in rural areas.”
Perth and Kinross Provost Dennis Melloy said the Solheim Cup was the “ideal vehicle” to promote the charity’s work.
“This very worthwhile charity is aimed at helping women by providing specialist knowledge and understanding of the issues that surround domestic abuse, whilst working to ensure that its services are easy to access for anyone who identifies as a woman.”
Local SNP MSP John Swinney added: “The work undertaken by PWA is profound and life-altering and I am therefore delighted that they have been chosen as the official charity of the Solheim Cup.”
Gleneagles hopes to make the cup the most family-friendly golf event in history.
Chief Executive Shara Pasricha said: “We’re thrilled the Solheim Cup will not only be a superb celebration of elite-level sport, but an excellent opportunity to raise awareness of – and funds for – these two charities which carry out vital work to improve the lives of some of the most vulnerable, both nationally and here on our doorstep in Perthshire.”
