The Six Nations kicks off tomorrow and one Aberdeen company will be tuning in – while raising money for a dozen charities.
Ocean Marine Group’s Super Saturday Sweepstake, now in its seventh year, has raised nearly £14,000 for charities through donations and admission fees.
Among the charities to benefit this year will be the Haddo Woodlands Trust, which is working to restore some of the devastation caused at the country park by Storm Arwen.
Between 500,000 and a million trees on the estate were uprooted during the November storm, and the park is still currently closed to visitors – although Haddo House itself has reopened.
The two other charities that have been selected so far is The Wooden Spoon Scotland and North East Sensory Services.
Registration for the Super Saturday Sweepstake closes tomorrow, so fans don’t have long left to sign up.
This year, the target for the fundraising event is £5,000, with Ocean Marine Group promising to match that by adding an additional £5,000. The remaining £2,000 is hoped to be raised from other events hosted by Ocean Marine Group on March 19, an auction and also a bake sale by Mrs Smiths at Haddo.
The damage at Haddo Estate
Efforts to clear the once-dense woodlands at Haddo ahead of replanting is under way.
But visitor services officer Suzanna Atkinson said the fully recovery was far in the future, and not in her lifetime.
Last month, the Duke of Rothesay visited Haddo to see for himself the aftermath of the storms. He also heard how the estate team plan to move forward by replacing the homogenous species with “native trees” to attract red squirrels.
A fundraising page has been set up, the Haddo Recovery Fund, to support the effort – and has already raised £10,224.
What does the annual fundraiser involve?
Ocean Marine Group hope to boost that further through this year’s rugby sweepstake, which has many prizes on offer.
Those who take part in the sweepstake have to predict the winner of every match in the Six Nations Tournament as well as Scotland’s overall points system.
Ocean Marine Group, is made up of ETPM, Pirie and Smith and Underwater Contracting Ltd.
Jay Smith, recruitment manager at ETPM, said: “The last year continued to be challenging for many charities so we really wanted to do something special around this year’s sweepstake, because they need support more than ever.
“Last year we set a target of £2,000 but raised almost double that so we wanted to raise the bar even higher this year, and we’re very grateful for the support we have had from so many organisations.”
To find out more, or to sign up visit www.super-saturday-rugby.co.uk
