Rugby legend Rob Wainwright will play host to the world’s most remote disco in honour of his former Scotland teammate and MND champion Doddie Weir.
This weekend, former Scotland captain Wainwright will host the event on the Isle of Coll to raise money for My Name’5 Doddie Foundation, supporting motor neurone disease research. The two-day Doddie’s Disco-fest will feature DJ sets, including BBC Radio 2’s OJ Borg.
Wainwright, a long-time fundraiser for the Foundation, has helped to raise over £5million through Doddie Aid, one of the UK’s most popular charity events. Tickets are still available, and the revenue will also contribute to the Coll community centre, An Cridhe.
Just 164 people live on the Isle of Coll but this weekend the population could more than triple as revellers arrive for a two-day “disco fest” — all to raise money to help end MND. The Hebridean island sits six miles west of Mull, far out in the Atlantic,
Doddie announced he had MND in 2017. He died five years later after devoting much of the remainder of his life to raising funds for research. Since the founding of My Name’5 Doddie Foundation, Wainwright has been one of the driving forces behind raising funds for vital research into the disease and was given an OBE for his efforts last year.
He has helped raise more than £5million for the Foundation as the founder of Doddie Aid — a virtual mass participation event which has seen more than 100,000 people take part over the four years since it was founded.
This weekend, there will be very little running, cycling, or rowing but there will be plenty of dancing as Doddie’s Discofest will run into the wee small hours on both Friday and Saturday, featuring a synthetic ceilidh from Piperactive as well as a live set from Borg while ‘Dangerous Dave’ will keep the party going with a community playlist.
Wainwright said: “This exemplifies what Doddie was all about. He was great fun and loved a party. Over the years, as much fun as we’ve had exercising to raise money for the Foundation and its mission to end MND through vital research, this will be a little different.
“Thankfully we’re pretty experienced at organising this type of thing now, so I think it’s safe to say this won’t be a Fyre Fest. But we do know people will be here to let their hair down, all for a very good cause.
“I can’t wait to welcome people for a dance and a drink or two but also to enjoy a slice of life on our beautiful island. There are more than 30 beaches to choose from, wild swimming spots, and a whole host of other community events happening.”
Tickets for the event are still available. The charity is calling on people across the UK and beyond to organise their own Discofests for Doddie by emailing [email protected] to receive an information pack.
Paul Thomson, Director of Fundraising and Communications at My Name’5 Doddie Foundation, said: “When it comes to organising fundraisers, we always look to encapsulate the spirit of Doddie, and he would have been in his element at an event like this. We continue to be blown away by the ingenuity of Rob’s fundraising efforts.
“We hope this latest amazing event he has organised will inspire others to organise their own fundraisers—whether at a rugby club, a village hall, or a community centre — just as he has inspired more than 100,000 people to log their miles every January for Doddie Aid.”
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