Costa del Sol businessman praised for his continued support of ‘butterfly skin’ children

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Since 2018, Richard Lovelady has helped to raise more than 2,000 euros by repairing and selling second-hand golf equipment at his shop in Estepona

Tony Bryant

Monday, 9 February 2026, 16:34

A Costa del Sol business owner has been presented with a certificate of thanks and appreciation for his dedicated support of the Debra Piel de Mariposa charity shop in San Pedro de Alcántara.

Since 2018, Richard Lovelady, owner of Golf Clubs Direct, Estepona, has helped to raise more than 2,000 euros for the children and young adults with Epidermolysis Bullosa (EB), known as ‘butterfly skin’.

Volunteer Ruth Baldwin explained that the charity shop receives a lot of used golf equipment, “but we do not have the space to display it nor the expertise sell it”.

“For many years now, we have taken the items to Richard and he has renovated, repaired and cleaned them and then sold them for our charity. We are very grateful for his time, expertise and commitment to all our children with butterfly skin,” she said.

There are over 300 families in Spain with a child with EB. There are eleven charity shops across Spain, two based locally in San Pedro and Marbella. These shops raise money to provide specialist nurses, social workers and psychologists to support the child and their family living with this rare genetic condition.

EB causes extremely fragile skin that blisters and wounds easily. These sores affect the whole body and internal organs, making it a chronic condition that can lead to complications like skin infections, skin cancer and the fusing of the skin on the fingers and toes.