Milton Keynes fundraise 4Ed
Milton Keynes rugby club have raised nearly £10,000 for the #4Ed campaign, which is fundraising for Ed Slater after he was forced to retire from rugby due to being diagnosed with motor neurone disease.
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When members of Milton Keynes rugby club heard about Ed’s retirement, they were keen to do something to help.
Matthew Dixon from Milton Keynes rugby club said: “Ed started playing rugby at Milton Keynes as a youngster and many of our members played alongside him in their youth. We do an annual fundraising bike ride, where we cycle 250 miles in 3 days to raise money for the club, Willen Hospice and another charity. As well choosing the #4Ed campaign as the other charity this year, we decided we wanted to do even more.”
Members at Milton Keynes, spearheaded by Mike Dean, and at local rivals Bletchley Rugby Club, led by Jason Zavagno, organised a Friday night floodlit vets’ derby game with many players who played alongside Ed featuring in the fixture.
“We play some ad hoc vets’ games throughout the season, but it’s usually a case of rallying the troops to pull a team together. For this game, both sides had a full fifteen and subs. Some of the guys hadn’t played for ten years but came back as they wanted to be a part of this game.”
“On the morning of the match, the pitch was waterlogged so a lot of people had to pull together to get it playable. There was a crowd of about 300 people for the game and it finished 26 – 5 to Milton Keynes. But the event was less about the score and more about raising as much money as we could.”
After the match, players and spectators filled the Milton Keynes clubhouse to enjoy a curry and speeches from those who had played. The club were hoping to raise £4,444 in honour of Slater’s number 4 shirt but well surpassed their target, with their total currently standing at £9,137. The fundraising page is still open, and donations can be made here.
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