A charity cycle ride next month will mark the second anniversary of a Dumfries man’s death while playing rugby in Ireland.
And the pedalling fundraisers will raise awareness of sudden cardiac death by visiting 11 secondary schools across the region en route.
Former St Joseph’s College pupil David Hill played for Dumfries Saints Rugby Club before a career in politics working for several MSPs at Holyrood.
He was also one of the founding members of the parliamentary rugby team.
The 30-year-old collapsed on March 19, 2022 while taking part in a cross party rugby match for Holyrood against Dail and Seanad XV at the Donnybrook Stadium in Dublin, and subsequently died from a previously undiagnosed heart condition.
Almost two years on, members of parliament from both nations will compete in a match at the same Dublin stadium on March 16 for the David Hill Memorial Quaich – donated by his family.
And the match ball will be brought to the stadium by members of David’s family and friends as the finale of a charity cycle ride from Edinburgh to Dublin, which will start on March 9.
David’s dad, Rodger – who lives in Dumfries – will be presented with the ball that day from Scottish Rugby at British Gas Murrayfield.
The Cycle4David team will then make their way through Edinburgh calling at the Scottish Parliament where they will be joined by Presiding Officer Alison Johnstone MSP, who will accompany them out of Edinburgh.
After cycling down through the Borders, they’ll arrive in Dumfries and Galloway before going on to Dublin.
The Cycle4David will also raise funds and promote upcoming cardiac screening events which will held in Dumfries this year.
Rodger has already visited the majority of secondary schools in the region to speak to senior pupils as part of the The David Hill Memorial Fund which the family set up to support CRY (Cardiac Risk in the Young).
The charity is calling for the introduction of a national screening programme which could help save the lives of young people aged between 14 and 35 with undiagnosed heart conditions.
Every week in the UK, around 12 young people die suddenly from a previously diagnosed heart condition with 80 per cent of these having no prior symptoms.
The Cycle4David team will visit Moffat Academy on March 10 at 12.15pm, The following day, they will arrive at Lockerbie Academy at 9.45am; Dumfries High School at 11.15am; St Joseph’s College at 11.45am; Dumfries Academy at 12.15pm; North West Community Campus at 1.15pm; Dalbeattie Community Campus at 2.50pm and Castle Douglas High School at 4pm.
They will be at Kirkcudbright Academy on March 12 at 10.15am, Douglas Ewart High School at 1pm and New Luce at 2.50pm.
On March 13 they will be at Stranraer Academy at 9.30am before heading to Dublin.
