A volunteer on-call firefighter and former rugby player has vowed to keep Doddie Weir’s fundraising legacy alive to help find a cure for Motor Neurone Disease (MND).
Rob Wainwright is a farmer on the Island on Coll who helps to protect his local community in his role supporting the Scottish Fire and Rescue Service. He’s also a former Scottish rugby captain, British and Irish Lion, and teammate of rugby legend Doddie Weir.
Three years ago, Rob founded Doddie Aid. To date, the mass participation event has raised around £2m for the My Name’5 Doddie Foundation, with the Foundation itself ploughing around £8m into MND research in the last five years.
Rob and Doddie remained close after their days on the field finished. Sadly, Doddie passed away last month following a battle with MND.
Rob 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.”
Rob said: “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.”
The last time Rob saw Doddie was when Doddie made a flying visit to the Island of Coll around two months ago.
Rob said: “When you play rugby with someone you are bound together by 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.
“He came up for a visit and it was great to see him. We had lunch at The Coll Hotel and went on a distillery tour at Ardnamurchan. He needed things like that to look forward to. That was the last time I saw him.”
When Doddie passed away tributes poured in from all around the world and Rob wasn’t surprised by the amount of love felt for Doddie.
Rob 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 been putting plans in place for Doddie Aid. The mass participation event starts on January 1, 2023, and anyone can sign up and set their own challenge and fundraising goals.
Doddie Aid also includes a cycling event where hundreds of cyclists will leave from Cardiff’s Millenium Stadium on Thursday February 9, to arrive at Murrayfield in Edinburgh for the Scotland v Wales Six Nations match on Saturday February 11. The 555 mile cycle will be a continuous ride throughout the 48 hours.
And next year’s event is set to be even more emotional.
Rob said: “Everything will be a lot more poignant. 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 helps to keep his local Coll community safe as a volunteer on call firefighter – a role he’s held for nearly 20 years.
His colleagues from the Scottish Fire and Rescue Service (SFRS) have rallied to submit a cycling team for Doddie Aid. Rob’s fellow volunteer on call firefighters 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.”
Jill Douglas, CEO, My Name’5 Doddie Foundation, said: “We’re incredibly appreciative of all that the SFRS do, and to have them joining the Doddie Cup 555 ride is great!
“The ride is a gruelling challenge, but made easier knowing that each push of a pedal and mile covered takes us closer towards finding a cure to motor neuron disease.”
And that’s Rob’s goal – to keep fundraising to try to help others.
He said: “This is a call to arms. Please get involved, download the app, sign up, encourage people to join and spread the word.
“We have come a long way, but the journey needs to be pushed on. Doddie was defined not by what he did in his glory days on the rugby field, but by how he coped with his ultimate challenge, how he attacked it and the momentum he created to find solutions for MND.
“There’s lots of people out there with MND. Many of them don’t have the platform that Doddie had but he had that platform, and he used it. He had an amazing energy and determination to find a solution to this disease and to help others. He’ll keep pushing us on even though he isn’t here.
“We’ll keep funding research and hopefully there will be a breakthrough that will really make a difference for sufferers of MND. It’s what Doddie would have wanted.”
A service celebrating the life of rugby legend Doddie Weir is due to be held in the Scottish Borders today.
The former Scotland international died last month at the age of 52, six years after being diagnosed with motor neurone disease (MND).
The event takes place at Melrose Parish Church at 13:00 with anyone attending encouraged to wear tartan – a request made by Doddie Weir himself.
The service will be live streamed on Scottish Rugby’s website.