MerseyGirl Poppy gets into the swing at Poppy-G-Driving-Range

Poppy Gerrard 

Teenager Poppy Gerrard, from the dance group MerseyGirls who made it to this year’s finals of Britain’s Got Talent, is getting behind the drive to encourage more girls to take up golf.
Poppy and the MerseyGirls first hit the headlines when they earned a golden buzzer from judge Alesha Dixon in the audition stages. Now Poppy is using her fame to share her new love of golf with other girls.
Poppy was persuaded to go along to the local driving range at Moreton Hills Golf Centre on the Wirral with her dad and brother, where she was spotted by the eagle eyes of the head PGA Professional Daniel Adams.
Poppy enjoyed her introduction to golf and some healthy competition as she tried to catch up with the skills of her bother. Now, the 15-year-old, who loves being outdoors and sporty, wants to be a role model for other young girls and encourage them to try something different and adopt a healthy lifestyle.
After talking to Daniel and her mum Kath, Poppy is promoting a taster session for girls at Moreton Hills in October where the girls will be able to come along to the golf centre, meet Poppy and take part in some dancing and golfing with her.
The places filled up in record time after Poppy took to Instagram to say: “When I have not been training/dancing with MerseyGirls I have been spending some time learning a new hobby. Golf is actually a lot harder and cooler than I thought it would be.” She then invited girls to join her at Moreton Hills to “hang out, take photos and have some fun hitting golf shots.”
Since the Instagram invitation Poppy and Daniel have been busy planning the event at Moreton Hills and have been on a photo shoot around the Wirral to show what a beautiful part of the country it is to visit and play golf.
Alison Lysons, England Golf’s Cheshire Club Support Officer, said: “It’s really exciting to see someone like Poppy enjoying learning to play golf and wanting to encourage other young girls to try a new sport and become more active.
“I’m sure the event at Moreton Hills will be a great success and hope that the girls who come along will not only enjoy the event but will want to return and take advantage of the great range of classes that Daniel has on offer.”
Lauren Spray, Women and Girls’ Participation Manager at England Golf added: “Poppy’s use of Instagram has demonstrated the importance of choosing the right way to communicate with youngsters and recruit them to our sport.
“By coming directly from Poppy, her peers they have trusted her opinion and signed up to come along to have a go at golf. Poppy has presented golf in a cool, accessible way which has encouraged these teenage girls to take part and enjoy themselves. This is something England Golf is working hard to achieve through Girls Golf Rocks, our girls’ national recruitment campaign which we run jointly with the Golf Foundation.”
For more information about this event and other taster opportunities please contact Daniel Adams, Head PGA Professional at Moreton Hills Golf Centre at daniel.adams42@hotmail.com
To find out about other opportunities across the country visit www.getintogolf.org Get into golf is England’s Golf’s campaign to inspire more people to take up golf and it offers a range of low-cost beginner activities delivered by PGA professionals.
Girls Golf Rocks is a joint initiative run by England Golf and the Golf Foundation to encourage girls aged 5 to 18 to learn golf in a fun and social way, supported by amabassadors from county girls' squads.
It currently runs in 15 counties across England. Girls are invited to take part in free taster sessions and if they want to learn more, to move on into fun, informal group lessons at a golf club or driving range. Find out more at www.getintogolf.org/ggr or follow Girls Golf Rocks on Twitter at @GirlsGolfRocks1 or on Facebook at www.facebook.com/GirlsGolfRocks