The population of a remote Scottish island could more than triple as part of a ‘disco fest’ created to raise money for charity.
The Isle of Coll is home to just 164 people, including rugby legend Rob Wainwright OBE who moved to the island at the end of his playing career in 1999.
The 59-year-old former Glasgow Warriors, Scotland and British and Irish Lions forward owns a farm on the island but following the diagnosis of Motor Neurone Disease of his friend and former team-mate Doddie Weir, he has looked to raise funds to aid the fight against the disease.
The My Name’5 Doddie Foundation was set up after Weir’s diagnosis and Wainwright has been one of the main driving forces behind their relentless fight to fund vital research into the illness.
He was recognised for his efforts with an OBE in last year’s New Year’s Honours list and has helped raised more than £5 million for the foundation as the found of Doddie Aid.
Now this weekend, he will be hosting Doddie’s Discofest on the island with a programme of events over two days on Friday and Saturday.
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It will feature a synthetic ceilidh from Piperactive while BBC Radio 2’s OJ Borg will have a DJ Set, before ‘Dangerous Dave’ keeps the party going with a community playlist.
The Hebridean island sits six miles west of Mull in the Atlantic ocean and is described ‘a place to get away from it all’ by Visit Scotland.
There’s no police officer on the island so organisers are ensuring that it doesn’t turn into an all-night rave and Wainwright is hoping people enjoy the island and help raise plenty of money for charity.
He 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 at An Cridhe Community Centre are still available here, with proceeds going directly to both My Name’5 Doddie Foundation and the Coll community centre, An Cridhe.
The charity is calling on people across the UK and beyond to organise their own Discofests for Doddie by emailing info@myname5doddie.co.uk 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. His contributions have truly been unbelievable. 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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