Ex-Tigers star Ed setting off on 350-mile ride in aid of MND campaign
RAISING CASH AFTER DIAGNOSIS WITH MOTOR NEURONE DISEASE
FORMER Tigers star Ed Slater will set off on Monday on a 350-mile cycle ride to raise awareness and money for the campaign set up after his diagnosis with motor neurone disease (MND).
The 4Ed campaign will initially work to raise awareness of Ed’s diagnosis and generate money for his treatment and support of his young family.
The campaign has been set up by the 34-year-old and his last club, Gloucester.
It will start with a 350-mile cycle from Gloucester’s Kingsholm Stadium to Leicester’s Welford Road Mattioli Woods, where the lock spent seven years, two as captain.
After an overnight stay, the group will head off to Milton Keynes, Ed’s hometown, to visit his first club, Milton Keynes RFC.
Following a refuel, the cyclists will then set off for Twickenham Stadium, arriving on Tuesday before heading back to Gloucester on Wednesday.
Ed will be joined by Lewis Ludow, former Tigers Fraser Balmain and Billy Twelvetrees, as well as former Gloucester Rugby players Alex Brown, Charlie Sharples and Jim Hamilton.
Ed’s close friend, Joe Gorman, and brother Andy Slater will also join the group alongside Tommy Turner from Gloucester Rugby and former Nottingham RFC team-mate Sam
Raven. The riders are expected to arrive at Welford Road between 4pm and 5pm on Monday.
Other events will follow over the course of the 2022/23 season.
Speaking after his diagnosis, Ed said: “I want to say ‘thank you’ to everyone for all your messages of support and generosity.
“It gives me and my family a huge amount of strength in a time of sadness for us.
“I will meet this challenge headon. Ultimately I can’t win but I will fight with everything. Hope is not lost.”