Charity champion takes dream Ant & Dec holiday after raising £10,000

Tuesday 24th Jun 2025

Forest Holme’s long-time supporter, Paul Payne, jetted off to Menorca for a well-earned break — thanks to ITV’s Ant & Dec’s Saturday Night Takeaway — after raising £10,196 at his sixth annual charity Golf Day hosted at Knighton Heath Golf Club in Poole.

Paul was nominated by his son for his unwavering commitment to the Poole-based hospice, securing a coveted Place on the Plane during the final series of the popular TV show, recognising his outstanding fundraising efforts.

Over the past six years, Paul’s charity golf events have collectively raised an impressive £46,303 in support of Forest Holme and this year’s event teed off at 8.30am, with 43 teams hitting the fairways for a packed day of golf, rounded off with a lively 19th hole celebration, complete with prize-giving, auction, and a charity raffle. Not one to rest on his laurels, Paul is already making plans for his seventh fundraiser and hopes to smash £50k in 2026.

Following the tournament, Paul joined Emma Ceo from Knighton Heath to visit the hospice and present a cheque to the nursing team and Corporate and Community Fundraiser, Kirsty Perks, who said, “We are so grateful to Paul for his incredible dedication over the past six years. The funds raised from his golf days make a genuine difference to the lives of our patients and their families. We’d also like to thank all the players, sponsors, volunteers and everyone at Knighton Heath who helped make this year’s event such a success. Paul’s holiday prize was so well-deserved — a wonderful reward for someone who gives so much to others.”