Doddie Weir charity invests £500,000 in MND clinical trials

Hamish Weir, Kathy Weir and Ben Weir are encouraging people to wear tartan on what would have been Doddie's birthday

The foundation set up by Scottish rugby legend Doddie Weir is investing more than £500,000 in motor neuron disease clinical trials.

My Name’5 Doddie Foundation (MNDF) said the investment spread across multiple UK centres would speed up the search for effective treatments for the condition.

The charity was founded by Weir following his diagnosis with motor neuron disease (MND) in 2016. He died on 26 November 2022.

On what would have been his 54th birthday, his foundation is encouraging people to wear a piece of tartan to raise awareness for the disease.

In 2019, Doddie was given an OBE for services to rugby, to MND research and to the Borders community

The foundation has already invested more than £3m to recruit staff to deliver MND clinical trials.

It has also committed more than £11m to MND research, with a further £2m invested in supporting people living with MND.

Jessica Lee, director of research at MNDF, said: “Doddie was passionate about the need for more MND clinical trials, to give newly diagnosed people hope and purpose, and to accelerate the search for effective treatments.

"This commitment of an additional £500,000 to support individual trial centres, will enable them to buy-out the time of specialised staff and make a real difference in our ongoing mission”

MND is a terminal illness which stops the signals from the brain reaching the muscles.

Average life expectancy is just 18 months from diagnosis and there is currently no cure or effective treatment.

During his player career Doddie Weir made 61 international appearances for the Scotland national team and represented the British & Irish Lions.

After retiring from professional rugby he focused his energies on the family farm near Fountainhall, Galashiels.

He was survived by his wife Kathy and sons Hamish, Angus and Ben, who are all involved in the charitable foundation.