Latest news with #DoddieWeir
Edinburgh Reporter
5 days ago
- Entertainment
- Edinburgh Reporter
Aiming to raise £25,000 for My Name'5 Doddie Foundation
The founder of Royal & Awesome golf, Graeme Smeaton, is taking on the challenge of playing five rounds of golf every day for five days at the beginning of June. He aims to raise £25,000 for the My Name'5 Doddie Foundation supporting MND research by starting to play at 4.30am and probably not finishing until around 10pm. Royal & Awesome will donate 15% of the sales of their Doddie Weir range to the cause. Graeme will play every round in East Lothian, where he grew up, including the courses at Gullane, Luffness, Kilspindie and Longniddry in his itinerary. And he will not be all alone out there on the fairways. A few Scotland rugby stars, John Barclay, Andy Irvine and Roger Baird along with some friends of Doddie will accompany him in his charity challenge – hopefully with enough banter among them to keep him going. During the challenge he will walk 125 miles, hit more than 2,000 shots and may only get about 25 hours of sleep… Doddie Weir's son Hamish and the friends and family of MND campaigner, Scott Stewart who died in December last year will also take part. The idea for the challenge comes from the late Doddie Weir's number 5 strip. Graeme will wear clothing from his own Royal & Awesome Doddie tartan range. Graeme said: 'These courses are where I fell in love with golf. 'So to take on this challenge here, for a cause as meaningful as My Name'5 Doddie Foundation's feels incredibly special. 'I'm aiming to raise £25,000 but the main goal is to raise awareness of the incredible work the Foundation does to raise vital funds for MND research. This is nothing compared to what people living with MND go through every day. I just want to do my bit – and hopefully inspire donations along the way.' Paul Thompson, Director of Fundraising and Communications at My Name'5 Doddie Foundation, said: 'Graeme's challenge is bold, brilliant, and full of heart – exactly the kind of energy Doddie brought to life. We're incredibly grateful for his support and can't wait to see him take on all 25 rounds. He's doing something extraordinary to help fund vital research and raise awareness of MND.' Follow Graeme and his fundraising challenge on Instagram here. Like this: Like Related
Yahoo
6 days ago
- Health
- Yahoo
Golf brand founder to play 25 rounds in five days in MND charity fundraiser
The founder of a golf clothing brand is set to play 25 full rounds of golf in five days to raise money for the My Name'5 Doddie Foundation. The challenge will see Royal & Awesome's Graeme Smeaton hit more than 2,000 shots and walk the equivalent of nearly a marathon a day, while surviving on less than 25 hours of sleep. He is hoping his feat will raise £25,000 for the foundation, which was set up by the late Scotland rugby international Doddie Weir to fund research into motor neurone disease (MND). All 25 rounds will take place next month on some of East Lothian's revered courses, including Gullane, Luffness, Kilspindie and Longniddry – which Mr Smeaton said made the challenge 'incredibly special'. He explained: 'These courses are where I fell in love with golf. READ MORE: How Scotland's MND charities have been 'game-changing' for woman since diagnosis Ex-doctor whose life was shattered' by MND to raise money for Doddie Weir foundation Doddie Weir charity in campaign highlighting devastating impact of MND 'So to take on this challenge here, for a cause as meaningful as My Name'5 Doddie Foundation, feels incredibly special. 'I'm aiming to raise £25,000 but the main goal is to raise awareness of the incredible work the foundation does to raise vital funds for MND research. 'This is nothing compared to what people living with MND go through every day. I just want to do my bit – and hopefully inspire donations along the way.' Mr Smeaton will sport Royal & Awesome's limited-edition Doddie tartan range throughout the challenge, 15% of each sale of which will go directly to support MND research. He will also be joined by a rotating cast of supporters and friends during the week, including former Scotland rugby internationals John Barclay, Andy Irvine and Roger Baird. Also among those who will accompany him are Weir's son Hamish, and friends and family of MND campaigner Scott Stewart, who lost his battle with the condition in December. Paul Thompson, director of fundraising and communications at My Name'5 Doddie Foundation, said: 'Graeme's challenge is bold, brilliant, and full of heart – exactly the kind of energy Doddie brought to life. 'We're incredibly grateful for his support and can't wait to see him take on all 25 rounds. 'He's doing something extraordinary to help fund vital research and raise awareness of MND.' The challenge takes place from June 2 to 6. For more information about it, or to make a donation, visit
The Herald Scotland
6 days ago
- Sport
- The Herald Scotland
Golf brand founder to play 25 rounds in MND charity fundraiser
He is hoping his feat will raise £25,000 for the foundation, which was set up by the late Scotland rugby international Doddie Weir to fund research into motor neurone disease (MND). All 25 rounds will take place next month on some of East Lothian's revered courses, including Gullane, Luffness, Kilspindie and Longniddry – which Mr Smeaton said made the challenge 'incredibly special'. He explained: 'These courses are where I fell in love with golf. READ MORE: 'So to take on this challenge here, for a cause as meaningful as My Name'5 Doddie Foundation, feels incredibly special. 'I'm aiming to raise £25,000 but the main goal is to raise awareness of the incredible work the foundation does to raise vital funds for MND research. 'This is nothing compared to what people living with MND go through every day. I just want to do my bit – and hopefully inspire donations along the way.' Mr Smeaton will sport Royal & Awesome's limited-edition Doddie tartan range throughout the challenge, 15% of each sale of which will go directly to support MND research. He will also be joined by a rotating cast of supporters and friends during the week, including former Scotland rugby internationals John Barclay, Andy Irvine and Roger Baird. Also among those who will accompany him are Weir's son Hamish, and friends and family of MND campaigner Scott Stewart, who lost his battle with the condition in December. Paul Thompson, director of fundraising and communications at My Name'5 Doddie Foundation, said: 'Graeme's challenge is bold, brilliant, and full of heart – exactly the kind of energy Doddie brought to life. 'We're incredibly grateful for his support and can't wait to see him take on all 25 rounds. 'He's doing something extraordinary to help fund vital research and raise awareness of MND.' The challenge takes place from June 2 to 6. For more information about it, or to make a donation, visit
Yahoo
7 days ago
- Sport
- Yahoo
Edinburgh golfer set for 'bold and brilliant' challenge in honour of late rugby star
An Edinburgh man is playing 25 rounds of golf over five days in honour of a late rugby star who died of motor neurone disease (MND). George "Doddie" Weir, a Scottish rugby union player, died in 2022, aged 52. Inspired by the star's struggle, Graeme Smeaton aims to raise £25,000 for MND research through the My Name'5 Doddie Foundation, a charity launched in the nickname of the player. Mr Smeaton will walk a total of 125 miles, hit over 2,000 shots, and will have less than 25 hours of sleep over the five days. He will be joined by former Scotland rugby internationals John Barclay, Andy Irvine, and Roger Baird will join him across the week to keep pace and morale high. In memory of Doddie, he will wear Royal and Awesome's limited-edition Doddie tartan, 15 per cent of each sale goes to the charity. READ MORE: Huge delays on Edinburgh Bypass as drivers urged to 'use caution' READ MORE: 'Our Edinburgh scheme has a reputation for being tough - but it's misunderstood' Graeme Smeaton, founder of Royal & Awesome golf, takes on the challenge from June 2-6. His JustGiving page had already amassed over £2,000 in donations by Monday morning. Sign up for Edinburgh Live newsletters for more headlines straight to your inbox The rounds will be played on East Lothian courses Gullane, Luffness, Kilspindie and Longniddry. Ahead of the feat, Mr Smeaton said: "These courses are where I fell in love with golf. "So to take on this challenge here, for a cause as meaningful as My Name'5 Doddie Foundation's feels incredibly special. I'm aiming to raise £25,000 but the main goal is to raise awareness of the incredible work the Foundation does to raise vital funds for MND research. "This is nothing compared to what people living with MND go through every day. I just want to do my bit - and hopefully inspire donations along the way." Join Edinburgh Live's Whatsapp Community here and get the latest news sent straight to your messages. Also joining will be Doddie's son Hamish Weir and friends and family of MND campaigner Scott Stewart, who lost his battle with MND in December 2024. Paul Thompson, director of fundraising and communications at My Name'5 Doddie Foundation, said: "Graeme's challenge is bold, brilliant, and full of heart, exactly the kind of energy Doddie brought to life. "We're incredibly grateful for his support and can't wait to see him take on all 25 rounds. He's doing something extraordinary to help fund vital research and raise awareness of MND." Mr Smeaton will be posting about the challenge on his Instagram account. Find out more information on Graeme's JustGiving page here.
Yahoo
7 days ago
- Sport
- Yahoo
Golf brand founder to play 25 rounds in five days in MND charity fundraiser
The founder of a golf clothing brand is set to play 25 full rounds of golf in five days to raise money for the My Name'5 Doddie Foundation. The challenge will see Royal & Awesome's Graeme Smeaton hit more than 2,000 shots and walk the equivalent of nearly a marathon a day, while surviving on less than 25 hours of sleep. He is hoping his feat will raise £25,000 for the foundation, which was set up by the late Scotland rugby international Doddie Weir to fund research into motor neurone disease (MND). All 25 rounds will take place next month on some of East Lothian's revered courses, including Gullane, Luffness, Kilspindie and Longniddry – which Mr Smeaton said made the challenge 'incredibly special'. He explained: 'These courses are where I fell in love with golf. 'So to take on this challenge here, for a cause as meaningful as My Name'5 Doddie Foundation, feels incredibly special. 'I'm aiming to raise £25,000 but the main goal is to raise awareness of the incredible work the foundation does to raise vital funds for MND research. 'This is nothing compared to what people living with MND go through every day. I just want to do my bit – and hopefully inspire donations along the way.' Mr Smeaton will sport Royal & Awesome's limited-edition Doddie tartan range throughout the challenge, 15% of each sale of which will go directly to support MND research. He will also be joined by a rotating cast of supporters and friends during the week, including former Scotland rugby internationals John Barclay, Andy Irvine and Roger Baird. Also among those who will accompany him are Weir's son Hamish, and friends and family of MND campaigner Scott Stewart, who lost his battle with the condition in December. Paul Thompson, director of fundraising and communications at My Name'5 Doddie Foundation, said: 'Graeme's challenge is bold, brilliant, and full of heart – exactly the kind of energy Doddie brought to life. 'We're incredibly grateful for his support and can't wait to see him take on all 25 rounds. 'He's doing something extraordinary to help fund vital research and raise awareness of MND.' The challenge takes place from June 2 to 6. For more information about it, or to make a donation, visit
