Doddie the iCON can be spotted during fundraising tractor run this week
12th August 2024
This Wednesday, the unique tartan-wrapped JCB Fastrac, known to many as Doddie the iCON, will lead the march at Sandy Duffus’ Tractor Run.
The event that will take place on 14th August aims to raise funds for the My Name’5 Doddie Foundation, the charity set up by the late Doddie Weir to find a cure for Motor Neurone Disease (MND).
The army of tractors will leave the Haughs in Turriff at 6:30pm, making their way through Rothienorman to finish at Thainstone Mart, Inverurie.
Behind the wheel of ‘Doddie the iCON’ will be local farmer Sandy Duffus, who was diagnosed with MND earlier this year.
Importance of finding the cure
Local architect, Annie Kenyon, who lost her mum to the MND disease in 2021, said that this experience fuelled her to raise money for the charity, because she knows, firsthand, how important it is to find a cure.
She added: “Approximately 1,100 people are diagnosed annually with the disease in the UK, and up to 5,000 UK adults are affected at any one time. Symptoms include spontaneous twitching, fatigue, weight loss, muscle cramps and difficulty in speech and swallowing.”
The two businesses behind the initiative are Annie Kenyon Architects Ltd and agricultural machinery specialists CC Powell Ltd. During the recent Turriff Show, they raised over £20,000 for the foundation.
Annie Kenyon’s stand sold out of the range of Doddie Weir merchandise, while CC Powell’s stand hosted the branded Fastrac, attracting thousands of visitors, many of whom bought a raffle ticket for £10 to win a tractor weight, kindly donated by Jacobsens-Grange Farm Machinery.
Generous local community
The JCB Fastrac 4220 iCon, wrapped in Doddie’s own tartan livery, was designed to support fundraising and awareness for the ‘My Name’5 Doddie Foundation’.
Doddie, who died of MND, aged 52, in 2022, founded the charity to fund research with the vision of “A world free of MND”, and so far, it has raised over £11 million.
While the foundation is actively making progress, due to a lack of funding, a cure has not yet been found for this fatal disease.
Chris Powell of CC Powell said: “We were absolutely blown away by the generosity from the local community. The support was even more poignant, given Sandy’s diagnosis.
“We’re very grateful to owner Douglas Stephen at Crop Services Ltd, for the loan of the Fastrac and allowing us to use it for the tractor run.”
Annie Kenyon’s efforts to fundraise for the Doddie Weir foundation have been extensive, including a pledge ‘Donate a Tonne for Doddie’ campaign at Turriff Show in 2023, along with her partner Duncan Barton’s bike ride to Paris last year, and a dinner dance at the P&J live, which will take place again next year.
Ms Kenyon added: “We are absolutely thrilled that Sandy will be leading the tractor run next week – whilst ticking another wish off his bucket list.
“Sandy’s daughter, Kayleigh was determined to promote the foundation even further and contacted me, Chris Powell and Kim Tedcastle to organise the tractor convoy to allow local farmers and businesses to show our support to Sandy and his family, and of course raise as much money as we can for the foundation.”
To support this charity or to take part in the tractor run, please donate a minimum of £20 to the fundraising page here.
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