As you will know, I am a rugby and gin sort of girl - sometimes you need the latter to support Scotland at the former! I've had several rugby heroes over the years, one of whom is the great George 'Doddie' Weir, who was not only a mainstay of the Scotland team in the 1990's, but also capped for the Lions on their 1997 tour of South Africa. Sadly, Doddie was recently diagnosed with Motor Neuron Disease, and announced his diagnosis to raise awareness of the condition. He is joining forces with researchers to help tackle the degenerative condition, which occurs when when specialist nerve cells in the brain and spinal cord stop functioning properly, by setting up the Doddie Weir'5 Trust, which will support both Doddie and other sufferers across Scotland.

As well as being a fantastic player and ambassador for his sport, Doddie is an all round good guy, highly sought after as an after dinner speaker and commentator, and with a penchant for very natty tartan suits.

I'm running a 10k at the Scottish Half Marathon Festival on 24th September 2017, and I thought I'd use this to try to raise some funds to help support the Trust. It won't be pretty and it won't be fast, but if you can spare a few pounds, I promise I'll finish!

specialist nerve cells in the brain and spinal cord stop functioning properly,