As sign ups launch for Doddie Aid, we announce Hamish Weir will be captaining Team Scotland - keeping his Dad’s legacy alive and pushing for a cure for MND.
Wednesday, 26 November 2025
Doddie Aid, Fundraising
As sign ups launch for Doddie Aid 2026, Hamish Weir - Doddie’s eldest son - says he hadn’t fully grasped just how big a name his Dad was until the family received his motor neuron disease (MND) diagnosis.
Now 24 years-old and taking on the role of Team Scotland captain for Doddie Aid 2026, Hamish believes this is the right moment ‘to step up’ and continue his Dad’s work in support of My Name’5 Doddie Foundation.
Doddie Aid, our annual personal exercise challenge, kicks off again on 1 January and runs for five weeks to help raise vital funds for MND research. Each year the campaign encourages people from all over to log miles in any form of movement they enjoy - from swimming and cycling, to running, golfing, dog walking or simply getting outside. This year the focus is on inclusion: you can do any activity, at any pace, at any ability - it all counts, regardless of fitness level.
This feels like my time to step up, not just as Doddie’s son, but as someone who wants to carry on what he started. The Foundation is deeply personal to me, my Mum, my brothers - it sits deep within us. Keeping that connection alive really matters. If we can help in any small way, we have to do it.
Hamish was just 16 years-old when Doddie was diagnosed with MND. At the time, he said he hadn’t understood how widespread his Dad’s influence had been until the news was made public in June 2017 - on Global MND Awareness Day - while the family were travelling to New Zealand for a trip of a lifetime, as they made the most of every moment.
He said: “I don’t think I truly understood how big a figure Dad was until his diagnosis went public. I was 16, on the way to New Zealand, and as soon as I got signal as we got off the flight my phone just blew up. It was overwhelming and a bit scary at that age - that’s when I realised how many people he’d touched. The impact was way beyond rugby.”
The full significance of that impact became clear later that year when the Weir family walked out at Murrayfield stadium before Scotland’s Test against New Zealand - a moment recently voted by fans as the greatest moment in Murrayfield’s 100-year history.
Hamish said: “It’s humbling to think how big an impact that moment had had on so many people. When the applause hit us, it felt like being struck in the face. Even now, it still gives me goosebumps. It was the first time I’d ever seen my Dad emotional.”
He added: “MND has robbed us of a lifetime of memories, but that moment is one my brothers - Ben and Angus - and I will always hold on to.”
Now entering its sixth year, Doddie Aid was founded by former Scotland Captain and Scottish Rugby Hall of Fame inductee Rob Wainwright - a close friend and former teammate of Doddie. Tens of thousands of people have taken part over the years each January across Scotland, Ireland, England, Wales and the Rest of the World to raise money for MND research. As Team Scotland captain for 2026, Hamish is encouraging households, workplaces, schools and communities everywhere to get involved - with a healthy dose of rivalry.
Hamish’s ‘rival’ captains include podcaster Archie Curzon (Team England), rugby star Edel McMahon (Team Ireland) and broadcaster Laura-Jane Jones (Team Wales).
A self-confessed competitor in everything from rugby to ludo and tiddlywinks, Hamish says Doddie Aid works best when people do it together. Participants can log their miles in the Doddie Aid app, compete individually or as a group, form a league, take part in mini challenges and fly the flag for their chosen nation. Exercise activities can be as light or challenging as they choose.
Hamish said: “The group chats have already started and it’s getting spicy amongst my friends and the family. That’s the beauty of Doddie Aid - the chance to kick the year off in the right way and also contribute to an incredible cause. Even if it’s just a mile round the block or a Pilates class, do it with other people - it all counts."
You don’t need to climb Everest. A quick dog walk, a gym session, a lunchtime stroll - it all matters. Do it at your own pace, but get someone to join you. Dad always believed that when a community comes together, it can do something special. That’s what Doddie Aid is all about.
He added: “Fundraising remains critical. A penny or a pound, it all makes a difference. Dad wanted to get the money in and then get it to research as quickly as possible, and that’s what the Foundation is here for. Every person who signs up is helping drive research forward and offering hope to people living with MND today.”
Following his diagnosis, Doddie became one of the world’s most recognisable MND campaigners, dedicated to raising awareness and advancing research into new treatments. My Name’5 Doddie Foundation, which he founded in 2017, has now committed almost £20 million to MND research projects.
Earlier this year, the Foundation announced its largest-ever single investment, committing more than £4 million to four cutting-edge research projects as part of its Discovery Network. Inspired by the Michael J. Fox Foundation’s approach to Parkinson’s research, it will be the first UK-based ‘open science’ model for MND - designed to break down competitive barriers between labs, speed up collaboration and accelerate breakthroughs. The approach forms part of My Name’5 Doddie Foundation’s bold research blueprint, Catalysing a Cure, aimed at fast-tracking scientific progress and transforming how MND research is conducted.
Paul Thompson, our Director of Fundraising and Communications, said: “Hamish stepping forward as Scotland captain is a powerful moment. It shows that Doddie’s legacy continues in the next generation, and we’re all working together to achieve his ultimate aim of a world free of MND. This year, inclusion is at the heart of Doddie Aid - whether someone walks a mile with their dog or cycles across the country, every contribution matters.”
For Hamish, his motivation is rooted in personal experience: “I’ve been given a platform - wherever I can help, I will. I know how horrible and cruel this illness is, and I don’t want any other family to go through what we did. I’ll always laugh and joke - that’s in Dad’s DNA - but there’s a serious goal here. We want a world free of MND.”
And his message to everyone: “Get signed up. Then get someone else signed up. Two, three, four people - that’s how it starts. Once you’re in that team environment, it becomes infectious. That’s how we’ll keep Dad’s legacy alive - and hopefully one day find a cure.”
Doddie Aid begins on 1 January. To take part, visit app.doddieaid.com
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