250 gather for Hearts and Heroes challenge

Published on Wednesday 13 May 2009 22:59

RUGBY players will link arms with Scottish soldiers on Saturday and stride out across the Southern Upland Way to raise money for injured colleagues from battle on the field of play and in war zones.

Former Gala and Scotland centre John Frame has led the Poppyscotland Hearts and Heroes Challenge project, alongside John Thorburn, the Hawick and former SRU official, and they have won support from leading figures such as Gregor Townsend, Ian McLauchlan, Ian Barnes, Roger Baird and Cammy Mather, who all have teams taking part.

Frame has been the leading figure of The Sportsman's Charity for many years and for the 29-mile challenge he has brought together Poppyscotland and the Hearts & Balls charities, the former dedicated to raising funds to help injured soldiers and the latter to helping injured rugby players, male and female.

Over 250 people have entered from military backgrounds with more than 200 from the private sector and over 120 from the rugby community. Frame told The Scotsman: "It has been very hard work putting this altogether over the past year, and it's been tough getting rugby clubs to be honest, but we are nearly there and I'm really looking forward to it.

"We've had support from rugby clubs as far afield as Blairgowrie and Howe of Fife, Edinburgh Accies and Glasgow Hawks, and the Borders clubs have been absolutely tremendous with more from there than anywhere. We also have the SRU President Jim Stevenson turning out and Rob Flockhart (former Scotland A manager] has a team in, while there's the old perennials like Barney, Jim Renwick and myself involved.

"We haven't set a target, but I'd like to think we might raise 100,000 with our first event and create a foundation to build on in future years."

The Poppyscotland Hearts and Heroes Challenge ends with a giant party at the Greenyards on Saturday night for all competitors and teams of four or more can still enter the event by signing on at: www.heartsandheroes.co.uk. Many of the teams taking part have their own Just Giving websites, but there is also a general one at: www.justgiving.com/heartsandheroesrugby for anyone wishing to donate to the cause.