MSP appeals for public to support Doddie Aid MND campaign

And she is encouraging her constituents to sign up to take part in the Doddie Aid 2025 fundraising campaign.

My Name’5 Doddie Foundation was set up by former Scotland rugby star Doddie Weir in 2017 to raise funds for research into the condition. Since then, the foundation has committed over £18 million in research into effective treatments and a cure for MND - but this remains a challenging disease with few treatments and no cure.

The foundation’s single largest annual fundraising campaign is Doddie Aid, which runs for five weeks from January 1. The campaign sees participants signing up with a £20 one-off donation for their own personal exercise challenge, whether it be running, cycling, swimming, dancing or walking, over the five weeks of the campaign.

​Christine Grahame is pictured with Dougie Vipond.

Ms Grahame joined Dougie Vipond and other supporters of the My Name’5 Doddie Foundation at the Scottish Parliament to learn about the current research and to sign up to take part in the campaign, which this year has the theme ‘Weir in this together’.

For the first time, participants will be split into the four nations of Scotland, England, Ireland and Wales and compete to see which nation can log the most number of miles over the five weeks of the campaign.

Ms Grahame said: “Doddie Weir lived most of his life in the Scottish Borders and died there on November 26, 2022. I had the privilege of meeting him and remember a gentle giant with an endearing smile despite that dreadful disease.

“I am really pleased to be able to play my part in raising much needed funds for the My Name’5 Doddie Foundation by promoting Doddie Aid 2025. There remains a long road to travel. MND is a complicated condition with a number of risk factors and people who are diagnosed with it currently have very few treatment options. It is vital that the research continues and this can only happen through fundraising efforts such as the Doddie Aid campaign."

People can sign up to take part in Doddie Aid 2025 via the My Name’5 Doddie Foundation website at https://app.doddieaid.com/onboarding/.