Trust serves up more disability sport cash

An annual charity event held last month by the Russell Hogg Trust, which was set up in memory of the Commonwealth Games bronze-medalist after he died in 2012, raised the four-figure sum for Scottish Disability Sport (SDS).

Held on December 28 at Carnegie Leisure Centre, current and former Scottish internationals, family and friends of Russell – some of whom travelled from Australia to play – and international disability athletes hoping to qualify for next year's Paralympics in Tokyo, all took part.

Of the money raised, £1,000 is set to be donated to SDS to sponsor two athletes for the upcoming year, while a second donation will be made to Lothian Disability Badminton Club to sponsor players as they attempt to reach Tokyo.

Russell's widow, Julie, established the trust to support athletes with a disability and aspiring badminton players aged between six and 16 after he lost a battle with cancer in September 2012 at the age of just 44.

Scotland's third-most capped badminton player with 117 appearances, Russell represented his country at every level – winning Commonwealth Games bronze in Manchester in 2002 – and was a reserve for the 1992 Olympics in Barcelona.

In addition, he worked for Badminton Scotland for six years from 2004 before moving to SDS, where he supported and developed grassroots programmes for athletes and players with a disability.

Russell's coach, Andy Cooke, donated prizes on the day while Julie paid tribute to staff at the Carnegie Leisure Centre and Fife Sports and Leisure Trust for their role in helping the trust raise "a fantastic amount of money".

Prizewinners at the event, in category one, were Gordon Haldane and Alastair Gordon (winners), and Bruce Flockhart and Robbie Patterson (runners-up); category two – Colin Wilson and Colin Lesley (winners), and Leon Douglas and Graeme Myles (runners-up); and category three – Julie Hogg and Fiona Christie (winners), and Bill Hogg and Ross Foley (runners-up).