March has proved to be yet another busy month for the five official charity partners of The British & Irish Lions – Dallaglio Rugby Works, Looseheadz, Matt Hampson Foundation, My Name’5 Doddie Foundation and Wooden Spoon – with a multi-million-pound project launch and a Cheltenham festival success just some of the good work that has been going on.
The last day of March saw My Name’5 Doddie Foundation launch a multi-million-pound project called Discovery Network with the aim of accelerating the search for MND treatments. The investment from the foundation included £1 million grants that will go towards four research teams from the University of Oxford, King’s College London, University College London, and the University of Edinburgh.
Dr Martina Hallegger, leading the University of Oxford project, said: “The Discovery Network funding is a game-changer for MND research, enabling us to strengthen collaborations and establish new ones within an open science framework.”
At the start of March, the foundation also announced that it raised £1.35 million through Doddie Aid. The initiative saw thousands of people walk, run, swim, and cycle more than a million miles as the foundation nears £20million of money raised.
The Cheltenham Festival saw the 25/1 Kenny Alexander-owned Doddiethegreat win the Pertemps Network Handicap Hurdle. Alexander donates all the prize money from the horse to the foundation after meeting Doddie and being inspired by his resilience.
Wooden Spoon – a children’s charity – celebrated National Wooden Spoon Day on 19th March. The day saw the charity’s supporters come together to raise awareness and funds for the organisation. Sarah Webb, CEO of Wooden Spoon, said “National Wooden Spoon Day was a fantastic opportunity for communities to come together and make a real difference in the lives of children and young people with disabilities or facing disadvantage.”
Across the month, the charity has also provided multiple grants to projects, including £29,985 towards a Nurture Sensory Garden in Haydon Bridge, £25,000 to Cricket Green School to build a sensory playground and £7,000 which helped build a specialist autism playground in Hertfordshire. The teams taking part in the Sri Lanka Tuk Tuk Challenge for Wooden Spoon and run by Large Minority, between 21 March to 29 March, have also crossed the finish line and were praised for the funds and awareness raised.
The previous month also marked the 20th anniversary of Matt Hampson’s life-changing neck injury which left him paralysed following a collapsed scrum whilst training with the England U21 team. Since then, he has gone on to set up the Matt Hampson Foundation which has changed the lives of so many people who have picked up serious injuries through sport. March saw Stoneleigh Deer Park Golf Club host a charity dinner in support of the foundation which was well received. There was a raffle and an auction which was used to raise funds.
Looseheadz thanked everyone involved with recent fundraising efforts, including 10-year-old Eilah Giles who is currently embarking on an 895-mile walk and run. She began her challenge on the 27 September 2024 – a year to the day of the Women’s World Cup final and has walked over 180 miles so far. The young rugby player is taking part in the mammoth challenge to raise money for the mental health charity having raised £1400 for the charity last year when she walked a half marathon.
Dallaglio Rugby Works have also announced that Simon Dent, a seasoned ultra-marathon runner, Jamie Peacock, former England rugby league player, and fitness professional Todd Liubinskas are going to run 1000km from Brisbane to Sydney in an effort to raise money for the charity ahead of The Tour. Jamie Peacock said: “I hope the scale of this challenge will inspire people to give generously and help us reach a significant figure for the charities."
