MND Scotland has been gifted £15,000 from the makers of hit television series Succession.

The charity’s logo, which currently adorns the front of Heart of Midlothian FC football jerseys, was briefly replaced for the fictional Waystar RoyCo from the popular television series Succession, to celebrate the launch of its third season.

The Scottish Premiership club featured in a storyline of the black-comedy drama’s second season. The popular satire series focusses on the Roy family, the dysfunctional owners of global media conglomerate Waystar RoyCo, who are vying for control over the company amid uncertainty over the health of their father, played by Scottish actor Brian Cox.

In the second season of the show, Roman Roy, son of Brian Cox’s character, tries to surprise his dad by buying Hearts, believing the Edinburgh-based team was the one he loved as a child. Amusingly, it turns out his dad was actually a fan of rival side Hibs, but that didn’t stop the real-life Hearts from temporarily featuring the fictional Waystar RoyCo logo on their jerseys to promote the series.

As a kind gesture, US television network HBO and UK streaming service NOW have donated £15,000 to the charity to support people affected by motor neurone disease across Scotland.

In June 2021, the club announced that MND Scotland would be the club’s new front of shirt partner following an innovative two-year sponsorship deal with Dell Technologies.

Following its ground-breaking partnership with Save the Children, that saw the charity’s name being sported on the first team shirts over 6 seasons, the Club will now be promoting and supporting the work of MND Scotland in Season 21-22.

The Club and its supporters have undertaken several fundraising activities on behalf of MND Scotland over the past year as a tribute to club legend and former captain, Marius Žaliūkas, who tragically lost his life to the disease in 2020.

Iain McWhirter, Head of Fundraising at MND Scotland, said: “We are delighted to receive a generous donation of £15,000 on behalf of HBO and NOW to mark the start of the third season of Succession.

“So far, our partnership with Hearts, made possible by Dell Technologies, has raised the profile of MND on the national stage and has already raised thousands of pounds from fans taking on fundraising challenges to support the charity.

“We’re looking forward to working with the club in the months ahead to continue building on the incredible foundation we’ve already started laying down together.”

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