A farming fundraiser hopes to raise £15,000 for the Doddie Weir Foundation.
Annie Kenyon, who has long been a passionate supporter of the Doddie Weir Foundation, is asking farmers at the Turriff Show to donate the equivalent of a tonne of grain, or whatever they produce.
Ms Kenyon has a personal connection to the charity, after her mum died of motor neurone disease (MND) in 2019.
When she was asked by the Doddie Weir Foundation to take part in Kenny Logan’s Rugby World Cup Challenge, she and her partner, Duncan Barton decided to get to work.
‘In honour of my mum’
“This year, the foundation contacted us to see if we would be interested in taking part in Kenny Logan’s Rugby World Cup Challenge”, she said.
Scottish rugby union player, Kenny Logan is committed to raise £555,000 for the charity.
As one of a team of 20, Mr Barton will walking and cycling from Edinburgh to Paris over the course of six days in October.
She said “My partner Duncan has committed to the challenge, which is really exciting. It’s lovely he is taking part in honour of my mum.
“He is out training at the moment as it is a huge challenge to take part in.”
While he takes on the 700 mile challenge, the couple also agreed to raise £15,000for the charity.
This is when Mrs Kenyon came up with the donate a tonne for Doddie campaign, which will launch at the Turriff Show later this month.
‘Surrounded by lovely Aberdeenshire farmers’
In a bid to get local farmers involved, she came up with the idea of farmers donating the value of a tonne of whatever they produce – this could be malting barley, feeding barley, wheat, tatties, or even carrots, there is no limit to what can be donated.
She said: “Because we are surrounded by lovely Aberdeenshire farmers and it’s the perfect time of year to talk about how much a tonne of grain is, I came up with the idea.
“We don’t actually want a physical tonne, just the value of what someone produces.”
The pair have managed to raise £2,000 already, before the initiative has officially started.
She even hopes to get some big brands on board, as she carries on her fundraising efforts.
“I think the initiative is bringing a smile and some joy to people’s lives, you never know what’s around the corner,” she added.
Local farmer Graeme Mackie, who helped come up with the initiative has already donated a tonne of tatties.
A Justgiving page has been set up for people who would like to donate to the cause.
