Our resident fundraiser Martin is back at it again, this time for the My Name’5 Doddie Foundation, founded by former Scotland rugby player Doddie Weir after he was diagnosed with Motor Neuron Disease in 2017. The charity has one simple vision: a world free of MND. Martin chose to raise money and awareness for the My Name’5 Doddie Foundation and the wider MND community in memory of his Mum, Marlene, who sadly passed away of the devastating disease in January this year.
Martin signed up for Doddie Aid 2023; a mass participation event started by former Scotland captain and British and Irish Lion, Rob Wainwright, which encourages people to get active for 6 weeks from 1st January, raising funds for the My Name’5 Doddie Foundation. Participants that sign up are split into six districts that compete against each other, logging miles and steps, with the winning district being the one that covers the furthest distance over the duration of the event.
Miles can be logged through any form of exercise – run, cycle, swim, dance, hop, skip, row – it all counts. Martin kicked off his Doddie Aid 2023 campaign with a chilly Doddie Dook in the Solway Firth at Powfoot on New Years Day, organised by his cousin Colin and the folks at Annan Rugby.
He then went on to cover a staggering 400 miles in total over the six weeks. Over 350 of which were on foot, and included long walks and hikes. The highlight of Doddie Aid for Martin was finishing 13th in the 10th Anniversary Fan Dance Race, which is a gruelling 24km SAS Selection test march staged over Pen-y-Fan, the highest mountain in the Brecon Beacons.
And if that wasn’t enough, Martin being Martin decided to use the final two days of Doddie Aid to round his total up, completing a further 50 miles on his bike, taking his grand total to 400 miles.
Martin will be undertaking the next phase of his fundraising feats next month as he attempts to walk 84 miles along the Hadrian’s Wall National Trail. To follow Martin’s journey or donate to this very worthy cause, visit his Just Giving page.
You can also find more information on Doddie Aid and the My Name’5 Doddie Foundation on the links below: