Northumberland cyclists raised more than £10,000 for Doddie Weir charity

A team of six Northumberland men cycled from the Principality Stadium in Cardiff to the Murrayfield Stadium in Edinburgh to raise cash for the My Name’s Doddie Foundation.
By Charlie Watson
Published 13th Feb 2023, 13:13 BST
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The 555-mile route was completed by keen cyclists from Seahouses and Belford; Kevin Elliot, Michael Robinson, Ken Britton, Walter Dunn, Colin Rutter and Stephen Rutter.

The team set off on February 9 at 6am, and cycled for two days continuously until reaching the Murrayfield Stadium to deliver the match ball ahead of the Scotland versus Wales Six Nations clash.

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On the first day of the challenge, the team pushed themselves and managed to cycle 185 miles in cold and wet weather. The following day, the team cycled 195 miles before refuelling with a cuppa and a bacon buttie.

The team made a pit-stop at Alnwick Rugby Club.The team made a pit-stop at Alnwick Rugby Club.
The team made a pit-stop at Alnwick Rugby Club.

On the final stint to Edinburgh, the lads popped into home turf at Alnwick Rugby Club and were cheered on by many familiar faces.

Ken Britton said: “We just want to thank everyone for all of the donations, the fundraising has been absolutely fantastic.

"More importantly, the lads that have done it have been amazing. I think something like this brings you together as a group. It’s a fantastic achievement for everyone involved and the lads that were driving the vans, you just couldn’t have put a better group of lads together.

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"I think when you really dig deep and do an exercise like that and you find out a bit about yourself, its amazing what the body can put up with. But the strength and resilience of the lads, I really couldn’t have done it with a better group.”

The cyclists arrived at Murrayfield with the match ball which was then handed over on the pitch by Rob Wainwright for the start of the Scotland versus Wales game.The cyclists arrived at Murrayfield with the match ball which was then handed over on the pitch by Rob Wainwright for the start of the Scotland versus Wales game.
The cyclists arrived at Murrayfield with the match ball which was then handed over on the pitch by Rob Wainwright for the start of the Scotland versus Wales game.

Together, the cyclists smashed their target of £10,000, and managed to raise an extra £500 for My Name’s Doddie Foundation, a charity set up by Doddie Weir OBE, working towards finding a cure for Motor Neurone Disease (MND).

Speaking about the charity, Ken added: “I think what sufferers of what MND go through and their resilience and the pain they face each day, we couldn’t replicate that at all. Yes it was hard but nothing what sufferers of MND have to go through.

“We suffered for three days, but the sufferers of MND suffer for years. What we’ve gone through is nothing like what they face.”

To donate to the fundraiser, visit: www.justgiving.com/fundraising/alnwickrfc.

Related topics:NorthumberlandDoddie WeirCardiffEdinburghMotor Neurone Disease