Doddie Weir: Mourners wear tartan to pay respects Scottish rugby hero

Hundreds of people attended a memorial service to honour the life of Scotland rugby hero Doddie Weir.

The former Scotland and British & Irish Lions international died aged 52 in November after a six-year fight against Motor Neurone Disease (MND).

Mourners wearing tartan tributes gathered at Melrose Parish Church and later at Melrose RFC in the Scottish Borders to remember the late rugby star on Monday.

Among those present were former Scottish players, John Jeffrey, Rob Wainwright, Gavin Hastings, Kelly Brown and Kenny Logan, joined by his wife, TV presenter Gabby.

Former Scotland head coach Ian McGeechan, ex-England internationals Bill Beaumont and Rob Andrew, and multiple Olympic gold medal-winning cyclist, Sir Chris Hoy, also attended the service.

Scotland head coach Gregor Townsend and his predecessors, including Sir Ian McGeechan and Frank Hadden, were also among the congregation.

Weir's wife, Kathy, thanked everyone for their "incredible support" ahead of the memorial.

In a statement, she said: "As a family, we have been overwhelmed by the many messages we have received from all over the world. They have brought great comfort to me and the boys.

"We really appreciate people taking the time to share their own memories of Doddie and let us know we are in their thoughts."

A eulogy was delivered by Weir's former Melrose and Scotland team-mate, Carl Hogg.

The 6ft 6in athlete's sons, Hamish, Angus and Ben, read a poem entitled Requiem for Doddie (The Mad Giraffe), by Timmy Douglas.

The memorial was relayed by audio to the town's rugby club, where Weir won three Scottish titles in the early 1990s.

It was also streamed live on the official Scottish Rugby website and via Weir's charity, My Name'5 Doddie Foundation - which has helped to raise more than £8million for research into MND.

Wainwright has vowed to continue his friend and team-mate's fundraising campaign.

He founded Doddie AID three years ago, which has now raised about £2million.

Wainwright said: "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.

"He had an amazing energy and determination to find a solution to this disease and to help others," he added.

"He'll keep pushing us on, even though he isn't here."