LAST week, former Gala local Tracey Davidson, had the chance to meet Doddie Weir in person after completing a charity 10km swim for his My Name'5 Doddie Foundation.

On Thursday, January 16, at Galashiels Swimming Pool, Tracey and Doddie finally met. Tracey told us: "It was lovely that Doddie and his wife Kathy were able to meet me.

"Doddie is inspirational and I have no doubt that he and his Foundation are going to find a cure for MND, particularly after the recent announcement of the MND-SMART trials.

"Their Foundation has done amazingly well, raising over £5 million in two years!

"I still can’t believe I managed to raise over £2000, it was much more than I ever imagined possible, so thanks needs to go to everyone who contributed.

"Friends, family and colleagues were so encouraging and supportive – it was a great experience for me overall."

In November of last year, Tracey Davidson, who works as an events marketing manager at London South Bank University, completed a 10 kilometre swim in the Stratford Olympic Pool, London.

Tracey's late father, Frater Davidson, who will be remembered by many in Galashiels as the owner of the newsagents on the corner of Market Street and Bank Street, was the inspiration for her sponsored swim as he was a capped member of the Scottish water polo team in the 1950s.

Last year, Tracey explained to us why she chose to support Doddie's charity. She said: "It's such an important cause.

"It's unacceptable that there's no one test for MND and there's no known cure.

"There's been a lack of funding over the years and seeing Doddie bring professionals together to get more research done is amazing."

At the time of going to print, Tracey had raised £2,200 for the Motor Neurone Disease (MND) charity, far exceeding her initial goal of £750.