Craig Hamilton, was diagnosed with Progressive Bulbar Palsy Motor Neuron Disease in December 2024, after first experiencing symptoms around 19 months before.
The father of three, who now lives in Workington with his wife Louise, is well known around Cumbria having originally been from Carlisle, but made a name for himself around the county, starting as a golf professional aged 17 and becoming the PGA professional at Brampton, St Anne’s, Eden and Keswick golf clubs.
After being a professional golfer for 25 years, he went on to develop Whitehaven Golf Club and following that, joined Dobie’s Vauxhall as a car salesman at Lillyhall, before setting up Criag Hamilton Art on Cleator Moor High Street in 2015, which he stepped back from in February 2025 following his diagnosis,
Craig has since lost his speech and is said to find eating and drinking ‘close to impossible’ and will undergo surgery soon to aid that.
Now, one of Craig’s friends and fellow pool team member at the Workington Conservative Club, Stuart Robertson has decided to organise a 24 hour ‘poolathon’, where he will play pool for 24 hours, in order to raise funds for MND.
Speaking about the challenge, he said: “I think it’s Craig that has actually inspired me, I have seen what he has gone through since he has had his diagnosis, and even before his diagnosis.
“His attitude he had just sort of tackled it head on, trying new things, trying to raise awareness himself. I just seen the way he was going about his life and what he was doing, and I just wanted to do something for him really.”
Stuart is looking for opponents to play half an hour or one hour slots and a £10 donation for playing him at the Conservative Club in Workington on Friday, July 17 starting at 6pm.
Anyone unable to play can make a donation of any kind via Stuart’s Just Giving page here.
Speaking about the ‘pool-athon’, Craig said: “I joined the cons club team last year and what a great decision that was.
“Being diagnosed with MND my confidence had been shattered and I very quickly became house bound reluctant to socialise. Then my friend Stuart Robertson mentioned the team he was in and I came along, what a great group of people, warm and welcoming, they made me feel normal again.
“There are tough times as my problems progress but joining the team was a light in the dark I needed.
“What Stuart is doing is fantastic, raising vital funds for the MND cause and raising awareness of this terrible disease. He’s a star and a very good friend.”