EDINBURGH’S Balmoral Hotel has teamed up with the My Name’5 Doddie Foundation, with staff modelling trews in the late rugby hero’s iconic blue and yellow tartan.
The partnership officially gets underway in January with a Burns supper fundraiser at the Princes Street hotel, aimed at raising awareness of motor neuron disease (MND).
Staff have donned the special uniforms from this month, to celebrate the two coming together.
Concierge team members Jan Streicher and Jamal Gacem were snapped outside the hotel sporting the blue and yellow tartan trews made famous by the charity’s founder Doddie Weir.
The pair can be seen wearing the distinctive trews alongside smart jackets, waistcoats and shirts which form part of their regular uniform, but in equally eye-catching colours.
Legendary Scotland rugby star Weir, who died in November 2022 following a six-year battle with MND, launched the foundation to drive research and support others living with the condition.
The charity is set to host an auction at the event, with all proceeds going towards its research into treatment and ultimate goal of “a world free of MND”.
It aims to fund and enable the most efficient research to speed up delivery of new treatments and ultimately find a cure.
In addition, it serves as a trusted voice for patients, their loved ones and the wider community, offering empowerment while campaigning and raising awareness.
Speaking in a press release, Stephen Walker from the Balmoral said: “We’re proud to support My Name’5 Doddie Foundation to fund vital research, and the funds raised through this inaugural event, and many more to come, will help as we continue on this road to a world free of MND.”
Paul Thompson, director of fundraising at My Name’5 Doddie Foundation, said: “This is the start of a special partnership between two famous Scottish names, and we thank The Balmoral for their support of the Foundation, which will help us as we work towards identifying effective treatments and one day a cure for MND.”
