The My Name’5 Doddie Foundation and Leuchie House will join the European Tour Foundation as Official Charity Partners of the Aberdeen Standard Investments Scottish Open, a Rolex Series event.
The two charities will benefit from a host of charitable activities during the tournament week at Gullane Golf Club on July 11-15, 2018, including the return of the popular Tartan Wednesday, when fans are encouraged to join players and celebrities in getting kitted out in tartan on pro-am day.
Doddie Weir is one of rugby’s most recognisable personalities. The former Scotland and British and Irish Lions lock forward revealed in June 2017 that he was suffering from motor neurone disease. In November that year he and his Trustees launched the My Name’5 Doddie Foundation to raise funds to aid research into the causes of motor neurone disease and investigate potential cures.
Leuchie House, a charity local to Gullane Golf Club, is Scotland’s only dedicated respite centre and offers caring respite breaks to people with long term neurological conditions, including motor neurone disease. By providing the care they need, Leuchie is able to support people with many different conditions to have fulfilling, revitalising breaks, while giving their carers time away from caring.
The European Tour Foundation works with charities, players, governing bodies and partners to ensure a lasting legacy in the countries where the European Tour plays, and this new partnership will help the Aberdeen Standard Investments Scottish Open to make a difference by working with two charities that have a positive impact in the local area and beyond.
The partnership was announced as Scotland’s Stephen Gallacher joined Doddie Weir and his former team mate and Leuchie House Patron Gavin Hastings, and the charity’s Chief Executive, Mairi O’Keefe, at Leuchie House National Respite Centre. They joined some of the Leuchie House guests to get their hands on the Scottish Open trophy and the Calcutta Cup, as golf and rugby came together on Scotland's Golf Coast.
A world class field will gather this year at Gullane Golf Club, just a few miles from Leuchie House, as the Aberdeen Standard Investments Scottish Open once again takes its place as part of the Rolex Series – the premium category of tournaments on the European Tour’s Race to Dubai, each with a minimum prize fund of US$7million.
Doddie Weir said: “The Scottish Open is always one of the sporting highlights of the summer and we are delighted to be associated with such a prestigious and highly regarded event. I must admit, I’ve never been much of a golfer, but I’ve always enjoyed the social aspect of the game and admire the skill and dedication of the professionals.
“This is a fantastic opportunity to be involved in a major European Tour event and for the Foundation to benefit from the fun everyone will have at Gullane throughout the week. You may even see some of my tartan out on the course!
“My thanks to all who made this possible. We shared details of our first investment into MND research this week and this would not have been possible without this kind of support.”
Mairi O’Keefe, Chief Executive of Leuchie House said: “It is wonderful for Leuchie House to have this opportunity to work with the My Name’5 Doddie Foundation, and to be part of the Scottish Open as it takes place on our doorstep. The tournament offers the perfect platform for both charities to raise awareness of the support available to help people with neurological conditions to live the best lives possible, while raising essential funds.
“At Leuchie we think it’s vital to keep the cost of our respite breaks as low as we can to enable as many people as possible to benefit from them, so we fundraise to subsidise almost half the cost. Every pound raised for Leuchie during the event will help us to support more carers and people with neurological conditions to have the kind of break that really can transform their lives.”
Nick Rose, Head of the European Tour Foundation, said: “The European Tour Foundation is delighted to be joined by the My Name’5 Doddie Foundation and Leuchie House as Official Charity Partners of the Aberdeen Standard Investments Scottish Open.
“Doddie is one of Scotland’s best-loved sportsmen, and his story resonates with people in Scotland and beyond, while the benefits that Leuchie House provides for people dealing with neurological conditions and their carers are incredibly positive.
“Both charities do such important work in different ways to help people affected by neurological conditions, and it is a real pleasure to be able to work with them to make a positive impact in the East Lothian area and much further afield, as the European Tour Foundation embarks on a far greater philanthropic strategy.”
The Aberdeen Standard Investments Scottish Open will welcome some of the world’s best golfers to Gullane this summer as Spain’s Rafa Cabrera Bello returns to defend his title alongside 2015 champion Rickie Fowler, his United States Ryder Cup team mate Matt Kuchar, World Number Three and 2014 winner Justin Rose, and the 2016 Open Champion Henrik Stenson.
Fans can buy tickets from just £15 atwww.asiscottishopen.com
