Charities benefit from special MND Day

By Mark Stevens
12/12/22

Three leading charities are set to benefit from the special 'MND Day' organised by the Exeter Chiefs Foundation ahead of the recent Premiership Rugby Cup clash between the Chiefs and Gloucester at Sandy Park.

Over £5,000 was raised from collections, donation and a silence auction - which included signed Exeter Chiefs and Gloucester shirts, as well as a bottle of whisky - for the Exeter and East Devon Motor Neurone Disease Association, My Name’5 Doddie Foundation and 4Ed campaign.

Exeter Rugby Club already has strong links to both the Exeter and East Devon Motor Neurone Disease Association and Doddie Weir's My Name’5 Doddie Foundation - and they were more than happy to link-up with the 4Ed Campaign, which was set-up early this year after Gloucester lock Ed Slater was diagnosed with Motor Neurone Disease himself.

Former England international Ed is one of several high-profile sporting stars to have been diagnosed with MND in recent years, others include Rob Burrow, Stephen Darby and the late Doddie Weir.

Tony Rowe OBE, Chairman of the Exeter Chiefs Foundation, said: "As a Foundation we have worked for a number of years with Exeter and East Devon Motor Neurone Disease Association as one of our designated charities, as well as supporting the My Name’5 Doddie Foundation as well. With that in mind, we also felt with it being Gloucester as our opponents that day, it was a great opportunity to not only help those two charities further with their much-needed fundraising, but at the same time assist the 4Ed Campaign as well.

"The whole day was about not only raising awareness of MND but, more importantly, raising funds to help the charities and aid research into the causes of MND and investigate potential cures.

“On behalf of the Foundation, I want to thank everyone who has given to these three magnificent causes, but a special mention to Patrick McCaig at Otter Brewery for helping raise an additional £555 from donations given by local brewers.”