SCOTS curling star Rhona Martin and her Olympic gold medal-winning team aim to raise £60,000 for charity.

SCOTS curling star Rhona Martin and her Olympic gold medal-winning team aim to raise £60,000 for charity.

The National Curlathon - at Braehead Shopping Centre's ice rink - will be the largest fund-raising curling competition in the world.

The event, between 6pm on Friday, September 14 and 6pm the following day, is a contest between North and South Scotland to raise money for St Vincent's Hospice, Johnstone, and the Highland Hospice, Inverness.

Among the 448 curlers taking part in the event, supported by the Royal Caledonian Curling Club, will be teams of international curlers playing for the International Trophy.

And among the big names will be Rhona Martin's team of Debbie Knox, Fiona MacDonald and Janice Rankin, who won Olympic Gold at Salt Lake City, America, in 2002.

Also playing will be Jackie Lockhart's team of Sheila Swan, Katriona Fairweather and Anne Laird, who won the 2002 women's World Curling Championships, in North Dakota.

Rhona said: "We are all looking forward to getting together again. The last time we played as a team was in 2003, the year after we won the Olympic gold medal.

"It's going to be a really fun day and all the money raised goes to a good cause."