A Castle Douglas man is taking on a marathon challenge for a cause close to his heart. Liam McGaw will tackle the Rob Burrow Leeds Marathon in May to raise money for MND Scotland. Liam’s dad, John, was diagnosed with motor neurone disease (MND) in 2015. Over the past decade, the family has raised thousands of pounds for the cause. Liam said: “MND is when the messages from the motor neurones slowly stop reaching the muscles. This leads the muscles to weaken and become stiff. This then can affect how you walk, talk, eat, drink and breathe. “Seeing my own dad being put through this is just heartbreaking. “Fundraising for my dad is extremely important to me, so one day there may be a cure for motor neurone disease and people like me, my sister and my brothers wont have to go through what we are going through. “He was diagnosed in 2015 and is still fighting strong but we can no longer do the things we used to do, for example going to Celtic games or playing football.” Last year, Liam raised more than £1,000 for MND Scotland by taking part in the Edinburgh 10k. Click here for more news and sport from Dumfries and Galloway. The Rob Burrow Leeds Marathon, which is taking place on May 11, honours the former rugby league player who was diagnosed with MND in 2019 and died last year. He and former Leeds Rhino team-mate helped raise millions of pounds for MND charities as well as awareness about the condition. To sponsor Liam, visit www.justgiving.com/page/liam-mnd