MOTOR neurone disease activist Gordon Aikman has won a posthumous award for his campaigning work.

Aikman died in February aged just 31 after being diagnosed with the condition in 2014. He launched the Gordon’s Fightback campaign as he battled the condition, and helped raise more than £600,000 for MND Scotland to fund research into a cure.

The campaign has now won the people’s choice gong at the 2017 Scottish Charity Awards, which was decided by a public vote.

MND Scotland said thanks to Aikman, there are now double the number of NHS-funded MND nurses in Scotland, while he also helped secure patients who lose their voice a legal right to access to speech equipment through the health service.

Organised by the Scottish Council for Voluntary Organisations (SCVO), the awards celebrate the life-changing work of charities, community groups and individuals dedicated to making Scotland a better place to live.

Lawrence Cowan, chair of MND Scotland, was a close friend of Aikman and helped him co-ordinate the Fightback campaign.

He said: “It’s wonderful that Gordon’s achievements have been celebrated with this award. What the Gordon’s Fightback campaign has achieved is remarkable.”