Event will support the MND fight
A popular Perthshire hotel is to host a charity night in honour ofone of Scotland’s sporting legends.
Crieff Hydro will help raise money for the My Name’5 Doddie Foudation at the event on October 5.
The foundation was started by former international rugby star Doddie Weir, who was diagnosed with motor neuron disease (MND) in 2017.
Doddie hopes to raise funds to help find a cure to the disease, which just last week claimed the life of former Rangers-hero, Fernando Ricksen at the age of just 43.
The ‘Row the Sea for MND’ dinner, organised by Genius Brewing, will bring together some of the top names in sport including Britain’s most successful female Olympian, Katherine Grainger, and former Scotland rugby captain Rob Wainwright.
The key speaker for the charity night will be SAS veteran John Davidson.
John has taken on the challenge of rowing the Atlantic single handed, covering 5000km from La Gomera in the Canary Islands to Antigua, to raise funds for the My Name’5 Doddie Foundation.
John is aiming to raise £100,000 for the charity through his endeavour, which he has named ‘The Mad Giraffe Atlantic Row’, after Bill McLaren’s famous description of Doddie.
John said: “Doddie is an icon of Scottish rugby.
“His battle with MND has been an inspiration and having had the privilege of meeting Doddie and seeing his courage in the face of adversity, he inspired me to test my courage once again.
“Rowing solo is so demanding. I’ll be on the oars 16 hours a day while navigating and when not rowing, I’ll be trying to eat, sleep and maintain the boat.
“There’s simply no room for error.”
To support the charity, Crieff Hydro will be offering use of its facilities for free along with several bedrooms, a raffle prize and a contribution towards audio support.
Stephen Leckie, CEO of the Crieff Hydro family of hotels, said: “We’re delighted to be able to host this event at Crieff Hydro for such a worthwhile charity.
“I have such admiration for the way that Doddie has handled his illness to date and the fact he wishes to improve the lives of others who suffer from MND through establishing the My Name’5 Doddie Foundation.
“I am looking forward to hearing from John Davidson and his plans for his epic adventure, all in the name of raising funds for the charity. Such an inspiration.”
Go to www geniusbrewing. com/mnd for more information. To donate directly to the Mad Giraffe Atlantic Row, visit John’s Just Giving Page https://www. justgiving.com/fundraising/ madgiraffeatlanticrow