Doddie Weir - The Edinburgh Tartan for the Edinburgh Award
On Friday night our favourite rugby great Doddie Weir received the very prestigious Edinburgh award in recognition of his outstanding contribution to sport, charity and the city of Edinburgh. Lord Provost Frank Ross presented the engraved Loving Cup which has also been presented to other great characters such as cyclist Sir Chris Hoy and writer JK Rowling.
Of course Doddie was wearing one of his famous tartan suits, and in keeping with the occasion this time we used the Edinburgh tartan. There are two Edinburgh tartans and this version is called the City of Edinburgh tartan and is rather subtle, and most un-Doddie like with it's grey and black hues. The other Edinburgh tartan is predominantly bright blue with red and famously appears on the seats of the cities buses.
There is no doubt that this is a well deserved award as Doddie has dedicated himself to raising funds to research MND and try to find a way to at least treat, if not cure this terrible disease. His frustration over the lack of hope and options for sufferers has been expressed many times and if you can read his recently released autobiography without shedding a tear, then you are a stronger person than me. Doddie may make light of the situation with his fabulous sense of humour and fun and comments about those "Enormous paw prints" now permanently cast in stone at the City Chambers, but his energy and dedication to the cause should not be underestimated. With the incredible support of the local and wider community and rugby world, this is a man on a mission to make a difference and we are right behind him.
