On Wednesday, August 14, the unique tartan-wrapped JCB Fastrac, known to many as ‘Doddie the
iCON’, will lead the march in Sandy Duffus’ Tractor Run.
The event 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.
“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,”
explains local architect, Annie Kenyon, who lost her Mum to the disease in
2021, which fuelled her to raise money for the charity, because she knows,
firsthand, how important it is to find a cure.
The two businesses behind the initiative are Annie Kenyon Architects Ltd and Agricultural Machinery Specialists CC Powell Ltd who, at last week’s Turriff Show, raised over £20,000 for the Foundation.
Annie Kenyon’s stand sold out of the range of Doddie Weir merchandise whilst 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.
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, has raised over £11million. Whilst the foundation is actively making progress, due to lack of funding, a cure has not yet been found for this fatal disease.
Chris Powell says: “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.
Annie continues: “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 kindly donate a minimum of £20 to the fundraising page here: https://www.justgiving.com/page/sandyduffustractorrun