Trailblazer Doddie Weir's MND legacy 'will live on'

Rugby legend Doddie Weir's legacy as a champion for people with motor neurone disease will live on after his death, his family and friends have said.

Weir died on Saturday aged 52, six years after being diagnosed with MND.

The former Scotland international raised more than £8m through his My Name'5 Doddie foundation following his diagnosis in 2016.

Weir's former team-mate Scott Hastings described him as a "trailblazer" who pushed research forward.

He told BBC Scotland's The Sunday Show: "He has brought the disease to the shop window. He has rattled cages, disrupted, challenged, cajoled.

"He has encouraged all these researchers to work together to find a cure for MND.

"Without doubt he was a trailblazer and he leaves an incredible legacy behind him."

Weir, capped 61 times between 1990 and 2000, was given an OBE in 2019 for services to rugby, to MND research and to the Borders community.

He is survived by his wife Kathy and sons Hamish, Angus and Ben.

His wife described him as "an inspirational force" while tributes have been led by the Prince and Princess of Wales.

Friend and former Scotland star Hastings said that "behind this facade of this jovial, loveable character" Weir was a serious man at heart.

"He was a magical human being. Just such a loveable bloke," he said. "He was a ray of light in a room - any room.

"But he was also the figurehead that brought motor neurone disease to the wider public.

"Not only that, he helped so many other people who were left in this incredible situation of, having been diagnosed with motor neurone disease, not knowing what the disease entailed.

"That is undoubtedly going to be his legacy."

Jill Douglas, chief executive of My Name'5 Doddie Foundation, said Weir's vision of a world free of MND "remains at the heart of our strategy".

She added: "He inspired us every day with his positivity and energy and was fully committed to the work of the foundation he launched with his close friends in November 2017.

"My Name'5 Doddie Foundation continues to shine a light on MND and the need to seek meaningful treatments and, one day, a cure for this devastating disease."

Andrew Purves, director of Melrose RFC, played rugby with Weir and said he was "very saddened" to hear of his death.

He said Weir had been down at the club five or six weeks ago, watching one of his sons play a game.

"It's absolutely amazing how he dealt with MND, how he tackled it head-on," he added.

"I'm lucky enough to have known him a long, long time, played with him and that's how he just lived his life, to the full. He took his challenges head-on and did it all with a smile."

Mr Purves said his heart went out to Weir's wife and sons.

"He can be proud of the way he lived his life and we as a club are just so delighted to have been part of his life and what he's brought to the club, to the community," he said.

"He was just a great human being."