Military personnel in Moray have raised nearly £9,000 to brighten the lives of children facing cancer through a marathon sports contest.
Players from RAF Lossiemouth and Kinloss Barracks completed a gruelling 34-hour touch rugby match to support Abbie’s Sparkle Foundation.
Teams made up of a total of 28 players did battle on the field for more than a day to support the cause.
The charity was adopted by the RAF Lossiemouth Owls rugby team following the death of their member Gary Banford from cancer in July.
‘Huge shift’ to support Abbie’s Sparkle Foundation
Players from RAF Lossiemouth and Kinloss Barracks interchanged through the 34 hours to set a new unofficial world record for the longest game of touch rugby – beating the previous best by nearly 30 minutes.
Supporters cheered the teams on through the night from the sidelines.
Some players also played on through the pain barrier in order to complete the marathon challenge.
Rugby players from #TeamLossie and @Kinloss_Bks have raised over £8600 for the Abbie's Sparkle Foundation with a record breaking 34-hour touch rugby game. #AbbiesSparkleFoundation pic.twitter.com/xgMpLu2YTN
— RAF Lossiemouth (@RAFLossiemouth) August 16, 2021
A RAF Lossiemoth Owls Instagram post read: “A lot of very broken bodies, but a huge shift from everyone.
“Immensely proud of the 28 players who kept going and going, some of which who picked up injuries very early on, but played on through.
“A huge thank you to all the people who helped us out as well.
“From physio work, signing people on, food runs, and just cheering us on at 3am, it couldn’t have happened without you.”
Donations to support the challenge have now reached more than £8,700.
What is Abbie’s Sparkle Foundation?
Abbie’s Sparkle Foundation was established by Elgin 15-year-old Abbie Main before her death from cancer on Christmas Day 2017.
The youngster wanted to establish a cause to support families facing the same battle with money for “hospitals and stuff”.
The charity recently passed the milestone of providing support to its 600th family, which included 25 “sparkle bags” being dropped off at the children’s hospital in Glasgow including a £100 voucher as well as sweet treats.
Before his death, Mr Banford himself raised more than £22,000 for Abbie’s Sparkle Foundation through a series of fitness challenges.
Donations can be made to support the RAF Lossiemouth Owls challenge here.