An event set up to raise cash for the charity formed by Scotland rugby legend Doddie Weir has already hit the £1 million mark.

The 2023 Doddie Aid event passed the milestone just 11 days into the six-week campaign to raise cash for the My Name’5 Doddie Foundation, funding research into motor neurone disease (MND).

Weir died from MND in November aged 52.

Doddie Aid is a mass participation event, encouraging people to get active while raising money over the six weeks.

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Olympic champion Dame Katherine Grainger and former Scotland rugby captain Rob Wainwright will lead a star-studded line-up of rowers for the flagship event of Doddie Aid 2023 – The Doddie Aid Britannia Regatta.

The regatta will see eight teams of celebrities competing on The Royal Yacht Britannia near Edinburgh to see who can row the furthest in three hours.

Dame Katherine, who is also chair of UK Sport, said: “Doddie Aid is an amazing event that brings so many people together through a shared passion for exercise, teamwork, camaraderie, and commitment to helping find a cure for MND.

“As the first event since Doddie’s death, this year’s event, of course, takes on added significance, and the tens of thousands of people already signed up and racking up miles shows how much people care.

“The Doddie Aid Britannia Regatta is the perfect focal point for Doddie Aid 2023, and will embody so much of what Doddie stood for – hard work and unbridled fun. I know Sir Chris Hoy has been pulling out all the stops to get the cyclists involved, so now it’s time for the rowers to make their mark for Doddie.”

The Doddie Aid Britannia Regatta is open to teams competing remotely across the UK, with participants able to keep up via a live-stream from the top deck of the Royal Yacht Britannia, with a leaderboard and prizes for those wishing to join and support from home.

Jill Douglas, chief executive of the My Name’5 Doddie Foundation and Weir’s close friend, said: “We are absolutely blown away by the amazing efforts of thousands of fundraisers taking part in Doddie Aid 2023 – they are all truly remarkable.

“The hard work doesn’t stop here and with four weeks still to go in Doddie Aid 2023, we want as many people as possible to sign up and help raise as much money as we can for vital MND research in memory of the great man.

“Every pound we raise is another step towards his goal of ending MND.”