A group of Scottish rugby legends have helped raise £20,000 for The Yard.

The British & Irish Lions event was organised by Roddy McAllister, Dealer Principal at Grange Motors (Aston Martin Edinburgh & Rolls-Royce Motor Cars Edinburgh). Roddy, whose 10 year-old son Finlay has been attending The Yard since 2016, asked for a donation of £1,000 each for 20 Lions shirts. The shirts, signed by legends including Gavin Hastings, Sir Gareth Edwards, Martin Johnson, Lee Mears, Greig Laidlaw, Jason Robinson and Sean O’Brien, were then auctioned off during the event.

Roddy said, “We held an event in our Rolls-Royce showroom to celebrate the British and Irish Lions game against Japan at Murrayfield. We had loads of rugby legends at the event including Martin Johnson, Jason Robinson, Gavin Hastings and Sir Gareth Edwards. We decided to buy a load of British Lions rugby shirts, get them signed by all the rugby legends who attended and auctioned them on the evening. We didn’t expect to raise £20,000, and when each of the winners stepped forward to collect their shirts, I got a little emotional as the charity really helps my son and our family. This is why I wanted to give something back to The Yard. We are looking to keep supporting the charity, as I know how much the charity does for kids and their families.”

Jenny MacDonald, our Director of Development, added, “We are extremely grateful to Roddy and the team at Grange Motors for their continuing support of The Yard. We would like to thank everyone who signed shirts and attended the event to help raise this fantastic fundraising total. It will make a huge difference for our families at The Yard by supporting our vital services at a time when disabled children and young people, and their families, need us more than ever.”