Edinburgh’s Archie Simpson has covered himself in glory by being an integral part of a bizarre combination of fundraisers which raised £24,000 for charity.
The Oddballs Foundation, which raises awareness of testicular cancer, was the charity to benefit from a 5k fun run by 300 participants through the centre of Leeds wearing underpants followed by a student boxing event.
“It was the largest underwear fun run in Europe and took place on a moderately chilly Yorkshire Sunday afternoon just before Christmas,” explained University of Leeds computer science student Archie, 21, who attended Fettes College and grew up in Morningside.
“The undies were supplied by The Oddballs Foundation as part of the city’s second Wilder Student Fight Night the following week.”
The boxing was MC’d by Archie and his friend Ollie Owen, from Hitchin, and a fellow student at the University of Leeds.
The Fight Night featured twelve bouts involving 14 men and 10 women novice boxers who had undertaken six weeks of intensive training at Sharky’s Leeds gym.
Added Archie: “Ollie and I are volunteer ambassadors for the Foundation. This involves various initiatives such as going into schools to deliver assemblies and workshops to raise awareness of testicular cancer which is the most common cancer in younger men. It’s important for boys even in their late teens to know about it and be regularly checking themselves. We aim to do it in such a way that any potential stigma is hopefully removed
“It’s quite a commitment as Yorkshire is England’s biggest county and we’ve travelled all over it. It’s rewarding work.”
The fundraising fight nights began in Durham in 2021 with a third Leeds event now in the pipeline.
