Lauder tractor event raises almost £34,000 for Doddie Weir charity

Event organiser Ross Montague and wife Moira handed over almost £31,330 to the former Scottish international after the event was held in Lauder in November, but further donations have since been forthcoming, taking their total to £33,700.

That money will go to the My Name’5 Doddie Foundation, set up by Weir, 47, of Blainslie, near Lauder, following his diagnosis with motor neurone disease just over a year ago.

Ross said he and his wife, of Blackburn, Lauder, had been hugely inspired by the former Melrose star’s efforts to raise money to combat MND and that they hoped the money raised by their parade of almost 180 tractors on November 5 would help researchers in their work.

He said: “This cheque is made up of contributions, big and small, from literally hundreds of people and businesses from the Scottish farming community, the local Lauder community and beyond.

“We are overwhelmed by the support and generosity our event received and are delighted to present this money to the My Name’5 Doddie Foundation.”

Weir’s fundraising efforts have also been boosted by an auction of rare bottles of Annandale Distillery’s Man o’ Sword peated single-malt whisky.

The Annan firm donated four of the 99 bottles it made of Man o’ Sword to the My Name’5 Doddie foundation and Doddie Weir’5 Trust, and they were sold off by Fife-based Just Whisky Auctions for between £890 and £933.

One of the other 95 bottles is being kept by the distillery for posterity, but the other 94 are to be used to boost the former Scottish No 5’s charities too.

“Bottles No 6 to 99 will be filled into bottles emblazoned with the special ‘Doddie’s a Man o’ Sword’ label and offered for sale by various routes and means to be agreed with the trustees,” said a spokesman for the distillery, reopened in 2007 after closing in 1924.

“This will happen early in 2018, with a significant chunk of the net proceeds going to Doddie’s charities.”

Further funds will be raised for the 61-times-capped lock by a so-called Tartan Giraffe Ball being held at Springwood Park in Kelso on Friday, January 26.

The sold-out event will be hosted by TV sports presenters Jill Douglas and Dougie Vipond.

For further details, go to www.doddieweir5trust.co.uk