Rugby legend Doddie Weir will be remembered in a memorial service today.
Hundreds are set to travel to Melrose Parish Church Borders to pay their respects to the late Scotland star. The service, held at 1pm on Monday, December 19, will be relayed by audio to the town's rugby club where Doddie won three Scottish titles in the early 1990s. Mourners have been urged to wear something tartan in tribute.
The service is also being streamed live on the official Scottish Rugby website and that of Weir's own charity - My Name'5 Doddie - to allow fans and supporters to pay their respects, reports The Daily Record.
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The 52-year-old lost his live to motor neurone disease (MND) in November after a six-year battle with the condition. The former Scotland and British & Irish Lions international helped to raise over £8million for research into MND after launching his charity after being diagnosed.
Weir is survived by his wife Kathy and the couple's three sons.
Former Scotland's team-mate, Rob Wainwright, has vowed to continue Doddie's fundraising efforts. Wainwright founded Doddie Aid three years ago and the mass participation event has raised about £2million.
Wainwright said: “We have come a long way, but the journey needs to be pushed on. Doddie was defined not by what he did in his glory days on the rugby field, but by how he coped with his ultimate challenge, how he attacked it and the momentum he created to find solutions for MND.
“There’s lots of people out there with MND. Many of them don’t have the platform that Doddie had, but he had that platform, and he used it.
“He had an amazing energy and determination to find a solution to this disease and to help others. He’ll keep pushing us on even though he isn’t here. We’ll keep funding research and hopefully there will be a breakthrough that will really make a difference for sufferers of MND. It’s what Doddie would have wanted.”
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