RPA Benevolent Fund benefits from £25,000 Dallaglio Cycle Slam donation

The Dallaglio Cycle Slam has raised a total of over £1 million for BBC Sport Relief and the Dallaglio Foundation, the latter supporting a variety of charities including the RPA Benevolent Fund, Cancer Research UK, Help for Heroes, Leukaemia and Lymphoma Research, and DebRA.

The Dallaglio Cycle Slam took Lawrence on a challenging 2,888km route from Rome to Edinburgh during the RBC 6 Nations 2010, visiting all 6 national rugby stadia along the way. RPA CEO Damian Hopley and Head of Player Services Alex Anderson were among the 250 cyclists who joined Lawrence for some or all of the route, Damian and Alex completing Stages 1 and 2 of the Cycle Slam respectively.

Damian Hopley said: "We are delighted to have received this very generous donation from the Dallaglio Foundation, and our congratulations and admiration go to Lawrence and the group of riders who completed all five stages of the Dallaglio Cycle Slam. Having completed just one stage of the route I can confirm this was a superlative effort by them. All those who took part, whether in one, two or all five stages will long remember having completed this extraordinary challenge and experience, and the fantastic total of £1 million they helped to raise for charity.

"The RPA Benevolent Fund is the Players' Charity, and with the generous support of the rugby community we are able to help the increasing number of players who suffer career ending injury. On behalf of our members I would like thank Lawrence for his continued support of the RPA, and for nominating the RPA Benevolent Fund as a beneficiary of the Dallaglio Cycle Slam."

Lawrence Dallaglio said: "We organised the Cycle Slam because we wanted to help a number of worthwhile causes and the RPA Benevolent Fund is particularly close to my heart, which is why I'm thrilled to be able to donate £25,000 on behalf of the Dallaglio Foundation. The Slam was a massive challenge and I'm incredibly proud to have been part of a team which was able to do something extraordinary in order to raise funds for people who need our support."

The Dallaglio Cycle Slam took place in February and March 2010. Lawrence Dallaglio and a group of over 250 celebrities and fundraisers cycled 2,888km over 24 days, visiting all 6 Nations stadia en route, to raise £1 million for charity. Starting in Rome on 12 February, the route took them to Paris, Twickenham, Cardiff and Dublin, finishing in Edinburgh on 13th March. The net proceeds from the challenge are being split equally between Sport Relief and the Dallaglio Foundation.

Read Damian Hopley's Cycle Slam blog here or watch videos of the Slam here

Find out more about the Dallaglio Cycle Slam at www.dallagliocycleslam.com