We have all heard about MND and the heroism of sufferers like the late great Doddie Weir, Rob Burrow and the Herculean efforts of the legend Kevin Sinfield. Orrell RUFC (together with rugby friends over at St Cuthberts ARLFC and Blyth Rugby Club) are keen to support the Doddie Foundation in its quest to find a cure and support families who have members suffering from MND especially as our own rugby family lost a great player and friend to MND last year, Stephen “Raffs” Raffell.

How: by putting up with aching legs, sore posteriors, lack of sleep, driving rain and wind (well it is February) to take part in a very special event organised by the former rugby union captain for Scotland and the British and Irish Lions Rob Wainwright where hundreds of cyclists will leave from Cardiff’s Millennium Stadium on 9 February, heading to Murrayfield in Edinburgh help raise monies into research of this devastating disease and to keep the profile of MND in the public eye.

Rob a former teammate of Doddie, founded Doddie Aid three years ago and to date, the mass participation event has raised around £2 million for the My Name’5 Doddie Foundation, with the foundation itself ploughing around £8 million into MND research in the last five years.

This group of around 350 people (known as DoddieCup555) will be cycling in teams of around 4 people from the Millennium Stadium Cardiff to Murrayfield in Edinburgh - a journey of 555 miles and they aim to complete it in 55 hours starting on 9 Feb 2023 and ending on 10 Feb 2023.

Orrell RUFC/St Cuthbert’s team of riders, captained by Mark (Willo) Williams, together with, Orrell RUFC’s Chair, Dave Robinson, Rob Jones, Nigel Heslop, Andrew Entwistle and Graham Raffell, will join the other riders when they make a pit stop in Orrell’s former playing ground Edge Hall Road and then cycle the 277 miles from Orrell to Edinburgh’s Murrayfield Stadium. The team will be supported by our old friend and sponsor, Dr1ve Medicals.

It’s worth the sore/tired legs, sore bums and no sleep to take part in such a worthwhile cause, supporting the other riders and enjoying the friendships that will be made by taking part in this very special event said “Team Captain “Willo”. “Orrell RUFC has always been a great place to make new friends and we hope to continue this friendship out on the road”.

For anyone under the age of 40, during the Club’s heyday of 70s/80s, the Club defeated the famous Harlequins in the National Knockout Competition and received wide press coverage, prompting the famous quote 'beaten by a lay-by off the M6!' A lay-by that is delighted to not only take part in the DoddieCup555 but provide a place for some well-deserved rest, refreshments, a chance to regroup, encouragement to continue and maybe even a Wigan Pie.

“We are extremely grateful also to Wigan Warriors for allowing us to use our old ground for the Orrell pitstop” said Dave Robinson, Chair of Orrell RUFC. “It will bring back many memories but what a great venue to kick start this leg of the journey” he continued.

There are lots of ways, you can make a difference and help support this great campaign:

1. Donate via our Just Giving page https://www.justgiving.com/fundraising/orrell-rufc?utm_source=copyLink&utm_medium=fundraising&utm_content=orrell-rufc&utm_campaign=pfp-share&utm_term=694a18f1026a4f32887a0d84a3e54ae9
our our Team Captain’s page: https://www.justgiving.com/fundraising/orrellrugbycycleteam?utm_source=whatsapp

2. Visit the Doddie Foundation page https://www.myname5doddie.co.uk/

3. Sign up to the Doddie Aid App - sign up is amazingly simple and fast. This is a mass participation exercise event, where we are looking to get as many people as possible to sign up for just £20 to 6 weeks of exercise and recording of their miles for their team
There are 6 regions they can choose from, Wales, the Baabaas (everyone else/ROTW), Edinburgh, Glasgow, The South and then the North and Mids of Scotland. In its 3rd year, we have raised £2million up till now and had 30,000 people take part. If the Foundation get 50,000 taking part, that is another £2 million for MND research as the hunt for solutions to this awful disease continues.

4. Come and support our team and all the other riders as they arrive/leave from the Orrell RUFC “pitstop”. Donation boxes or just a great cheer to spur this fabulous bunch of people on their way as they head out to Murrayfield Stadium.

5. Spread the word amongst our Orrell RUFC family and friends; the key route for recruitment is spreading the word at grassroots level! Our rugby family can be so good at responding to that. With your help, this is going to be a massive success and we, Orrell RUFC, can help make it successful. Please think about getting involved. It will be a lot of fun. Because Doddie would always want that.