Doddie Aid raises £1.35 million as total funds committed to MND research nears £20 million milestone
04 March 2025
Thousands of supporters walked, ran, swam and cycled more than one million miles in memory of the late, great Doddie Weir during Doddie Aid 2025, raising a further £1.35 million for cutting edge motor neuron disease (MND) research projects.
My Name’5 Doddie Foundation has now committed £19.5m to fund pioneering research in the search for effective treatments, and ultimately a cure, for MND.
This year’s efforts were once again buoyed by one of Doddie’s closest friends, Rob Wainwright OBE, the “immense and inspirational” fundraiser who conceived the idea for the virtual mass participation event five years ago. In total, this event alone has now raised more than £6m.
To conclude this year’s Doddie Aid – which ran for the first five weeks of the year – the former Scotland international and British and Irish Lion led “Doddie’s Grand Tour” a four-day 800 mile cycle from Dublin to Edinburgh involving former Ireland and British & Irish Lions centre Gordon D’Arcy, Scotland rugby legend Scott Hastings, broadcaster and Deacon Blue drummer Dougie Vipond, world record-breaking cyclist Mark Beaumont, and Doddie Weir’s widow, Kathy, that has so far raised £763,304.
Wainwright, the former flanker who is now a farmer on the Isle of Coll, said: "Doddie Aid’s all about getting active, having fun, and raising money to help fund the research that could change lives. Every year, the response is incredible — and this year was no different. A huge thanks to everyone who took part this year and to all those who joined us on Doddie’5 Grand Tour ride and donated to another ambitious challenge.
"Like Doddie, I believe MND isn’t incurable, it’s just underfunded — and that drives us forward every day. Every mile, every donation, and every new research project we fund is all about bringing real hope — and one day, a cure — to people living with MND.
The money raised will continue to be invested through a competitive grant process, reviewed by independent committees made up of scientists and people with lived experience of MND.
My Name’5 Doddie Foundation is one of the leading charitable funders of MND research in the UK. The funds raised support a comprehensive research pipeline, from early-stage ideas through to drug development and clinical trials, all aimed at delivering effective treatments and, one day, a cure for MND.
At the heart of this work is the Foundation’s Catalysing a Cure strategy, which funds pioneering projects across three key streams: the Discovery Network, a £4 million collaborative research programme designed to unlock new understanding of MND biology; the Advancing Treatments Award, which backs promising treatment approaches ready to move from lab to clinic; and the Catalyst Award, a seed fund enabling researchers to test bold new ideas.
Paul Thompson, My Name’5 Doddie Foundation’s Director of Fundraising and Communications, said: “We are hugely grateful to everyone who took part in Doddie Aid, particularly to Rob, who has been absolutely immense in his fundraising efforts since he first dreamt up Doddie Aid and willed it into being five years ago. What he has achieved is truly inspirational.
“The money we raise at the Foundation – including more than £6m now from Doddie Aid alone – is helping us deliver Doddie’s legacy. It allows us to fund, guide and enable the smartest, most efficient research – allowing world-leading experts to investigate potential drugs, expedite new treatments and, fundamentally, work towards finding a cure.”
To learn more about our research initiatives, visit www.myname5doddie.co.uk/research/
