Charity golf day and disco raises over £8,000 for stroke treatment of former Mildenhall Fen Tigers star

Friends and family of a speedway star who suffered a stroke four years ago have raised thousands of pounds towards his treatment through a charity golf day and disco.

Carl Baldwin, a resident of Needham Market, rode with the Mildenhall Fen Tigers for nine seasons, making a big name for himself in the sport.

In November 2018, he suffered a stroke, and has since been confined to a wheelchair.

A number of people close to Mr Baldwin - including his son, Ben Baldwin - came together to discuss ways of raising money towards physiotherapy sessions.

It was decided to host a golf day, which took place on July 1 this year.

Almost 50 players took to the course at Brett Vale Golf Club in Raydon, and 120 people attended a disco the following day.

Mr Baldwin was present for the golf, and is said to have enjoyed the game.

The organisers exceeded their initial fundraising target, ultimately racking up £8,500.

Ben Baldwin said: "We had hoped to raise £6,000 as that would fund 100 physio sessions but we absolutely smashed it.

"We had 48 players come to the golf day and dad came up for photos and was there for a couple of hours.

"He loved being up there and watched everyone tee off.

"He saw a lot of people he hadn’t seen for ages and it was great to have their support.

"A couple of sponsors I must give special thanks to are A. Leeder's Butchers in Boxford and W. J. Green of Hadleigh while I would also like to thank Brett Vale Golf Club as they were awesome along with Hadleigh United Football Club."

In addition to funding Mr Baldwin's physiotherapy, the money raised will also go towards the purchase of a specialised exercise bike.

This will aid the veteran rider in regaining his mobility.