A fundraising drive set up by campaigner Gordon Aikman to help find a cure for Motor Neurone Disease (MND) has hit £600,000.

The 31-year-old from Edinburgh died in February after being diagnosed with the muscle-wasting disease in 2014.

His friends and family have now pledged to raise £1m in his memory as part of the Gordon's Fightback initiative.

Mr Aikman, a former Labour party staffer and director of research for the Better Together campaign, had gained political support for his campaign.

His husband Joe Pike announced the new target on Sunday, which would have been Mr Aikman's 32nd birthday.

He said: "Today, for the first time I won't be able to kiss my husband, hold him and say: 'Happy birthday. I love you'. There are no cards this year, no gifts, no fancy meals - just memories.

"I miss Gordon's voice, his eyes and his smile. I miss the in-jokes and affection and finishing each other's sentences.

"But Gordon never wanted pity, and I don't either. I want to turn a negative into a positive. Today, I want everyone to mark Gordon's birthday by giving the gift of a cure for Motor Neurone Disease."

He added: "Gordon's real passion was finding a cure. Doctors do not know what causes Motor Neurone Disease, let alone how to cure it. But scientists in labs doing research provided him with hope. Not that he would be saved, but hope for future generations.

"A cure for MND - that would be a real gift to remember Gordon by."

For further information on the campaign, you can visit GordonsFightback.com.