Doddie Weir's former teammate has vowed to continue the rugby star's fundraising legacy by helping to find a cure for Motor Neurone Disease. Ex-Scottish rugby captain Rob Wainright was a close friend of Doddie, who sadly died aged 52 on November 26 after six-year long battle with MND.
In 2017, Rob founded Doddie Aid, a mass participation event which has raised around £2m for the My Name’5 Doddie Foundation and £8m for MND research over the last five years. Rob, a former British and Irish Lion, said: “We are going through a period of sadness, but Doddie would not want us moping about.
"He would want us getting on with it – fundraising and trying to find a cure - and that’s what we will do. It’s a huge legacy and it’s for nothing if it doesn’t continue.
“It falls upon us that are left to carry the flame for Doddie and carry on his determination to find breakthroughs in the science and treatment of MND. Doddie may be gone but he is still leading us and driving us onwards.
“When you play rugby with someone you are bound together b"y being part of a team. Doddie was a country man, a bit like myself and we shared the same kind of humour. We just hit it off.
In addition to his charity work, Rob is a farmer and volunteer firefighter on the Island on Coll. The last time Rob saw Doddie was when he came for a visit around two months ago to have lunch and go on a distillery tour.
When Doddie passed away, tributes poured in from across the globe - with Rob unsurprised at the amount love people shared for him. He said: “He was an extremely warm character, wonderfully friendly, with the perfect blend of humour and compassion. He was just a really good people person, with a really attractive personality that people loved, and he was very giving of his time.
“There was a lot that happened behind the scenes. Doddie was introduced to people who had just been diagnosed with MND. He was able to give them guidance and he in turn got guidance from other people.”
Rob has spent the last few weeks preparing for Doddie's Aid, which starts on January 1, 2023. Anyone can sign up to the event and set their own challenge and goals.
The fundraising effort also includes a cycling event, where hundreds of participants will ride from Cardiff’s Millenium Stadium on Thursday February 9 to Murrayfield in Edinburgh in time for the Scotland v Wales Six Nations match on Saturday February 11. The 555 mile cycle will be a continuous journey throughout the 48 hours.
And this year’s event is set to be even more emotional in the wake of Doddie's passing.
Rob said: “Everything will be a lot more poignant this year. It’s emotional anyway – when you get tired and you’ve been at it for a day and half, you’re running out of energy, haven’t eaten properly or slept and then the amazing welcomes at some of the rugby clubs.
“This year there’s even more determination, to make it even bigger and channel that love for Doddie now that he has gone. I’ve set myself a target of having 50,000 people signed up to Doddie Aid and to raise £2m for MND research.”
As well as organising Doddie Aid, Rob has worked as a volunteer on call firefighter for nearly 20 years, with his colleagues at the Scottish Fire and Rescue Service (SFRS) having rallied to submit a cycling team for Doddie Aid. Rob’s workmates from the island’s fire station will be joining a 13-strong team from the SFRS East and West Dunbartonshire and Argyll and Bute area.
Rob will be cycling as part of a British and Irish Rugby Lions Team.
He said: “I’m wishing luck to the SFRS team. I know they’ve been in training. Winter cycling in February might sound like a stupid thing to do but it’s overcoming these challenges working as a team - it will be a very uplifting experience.”
Area Commander Joe McKay is SFRS Local Senior Officer for East and West Dunbartonshire, Argyll and Bute. He said: “We’ve seen first-hand the huge amount of effort it takes to organise Doddie Aid and we’re delighted to support Rob’s determination and importantly to support Doddie’s mission to raise money to help find a cure for MND.”
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