The ELGA Trust - Bursary

In 2005 the ELGA Trust was left a legacy of £39,000 by Mrs Lena Marie Lauga Bellamy who was born in 1909, However, it is highly likely that Mrs Bellamy had no direct contact with the English Ladies' Golf Association Trust.

Although Mrs Bellamy's Will, was valid and executed before her death, a problem arose after her husband's death because her Will contained no living beneficiaries. Due to Mrs Bellamy's illness she did not have the mental capacity to execute a Will therefore she would have died intestate, with her estate passing to the Crown. So her Receiver made an application to the Court of Protection for the Will to be executed on her behalf. In the absence of any relatives, it was agreed that her estate should be divided between various Charities and the Receiver made the decisions as to which charities should benefit from the Will by reference to their knowledge of Mrs Bellamy and the type of charities and purposes that she would have supported.

Her father was a professional golfer and was, in fact, the first non-British person to win the British Open Golf Championship at Hoylake in 1907. His name was Arnaud Massey who was a Basque from South West France. He was discovered at Biarritz by Sir Everard Hambro who arranged for him to have a course of lessons at North Berwick from Ben Sayers. He was described as having a cheerful, swashbuckling air and a cheerful chuckling way with him that was most engaging.

After he won the Open at Hoylake in 1907 his daughter was born about the same time so he christened her ‘Hoylake', this was Mrs Bellamy's sister Margaret. Mrs Bellamy herself, christened Lena Marie Lauga, was a keen golfer and kept up her membership of a golf club in Scotland until quite late in life, shortly before her husband died, and, it is for this reason that the Receiver took the view that she might have wished to benefit a Charity that supports golf.

For these reasons the Trustees and Trust Management Committee has decided that the investment income and capital will fund two bursaries, at any one time, of up to £1,500 per student, per academic year, for any recognised course at a Higher or Further Education College in a golf related subject. This for example might be Golf Course Management, Turf Management, Greenkeeping, Horticulture, Sports Management, to name a few.

The bursaries are provided for students with formal offer places on courses in related subjects.

Alternatively applicants must be actively participating in a course and must be able to provide support for their application from their Course Tutor.

The award year will be from 1 October to 30 September and applications must be received in the ELGA office by the 1 September.

Applications for a Bursary are open to all English female golfers who fulfil the above criteria, irrespective of age or ethnicity.

In general, a Bursary may be used for educational purposes, including tuition fees, books, room and board.

Annually each bursar must show that their enthusiasm and commitment to their golf have been satisfactory before the next year's funds are released.

To apply for a Bellamy Bursary award, please contact the ELGA office for an application form.

The ELGA Trust, the charity for girls’ golf, is to make two bursary awards to students, thanks to a £30,000 legacy.

The money is from the estate of Mrs Lena Bellamy, whose father, Arnaud Massey, was the first overseas player to win The Open championship.

The Frenchman, described as cheerful, swashbuckling and engaging, won the title at Hoylake in 1907, beating JH Taylor by two shots.

Mrs Bellamy was a keen golfer and, although she did not leave a valid Will, the Court of Protection has agreed that her estate should be divided between various charities reflecting her interests.

Her legacy to the ELGA Trust will fund two Bellamy Bursary awards, each of £1500 per academic year. They will be made to English female golfers, irrespective of age or ethnicity, studying a golf-related subject at a college of higher or further education. Courses could include golf course management, turf management, greenkeeping, horticulture or sports management, among other subjects.

Further details of the Bellamy Bursary awards and application forms are available from the ELGA office at Edgbaston Golf Club, Church Road, Birmingham B15 3TB, telephone 0121 456 2088.

Bellamy Bursaries

2006 Winners

Kendra-May Agnew - Cheshire - studying for a National Diploma of Golf at Myerscough College

2005 Winners

Vickie Frost - Buckinghamshire - studying for a Sports Science National Diploma at Milton Keynes College

Angela Roscoe - Durham - studying for a BTEC National in Sport and Outdoor Education at Darlington College of Technology.