Rugby legend Doddie Weir and violinist Nicola Benedetti are among the Scots recognised in the New Year Honours List.

There are also honours for businesswoman and philanthropist Ann Gloag and Louise Martin, president of the Commonwealth Games Federation, who are both made Dames.

Weir, 48, began his professional rugby career at Melrose RFC before going on to play for Scotland and the Newcastle Falcons.

He announced in 2017 that he had been diagnosed with motor neurone disease (MND) and went on to found the My Name’5 Doddie Foundation.

He is being made an OBE for services to rugby, to MND research and to the community in the Scottish Borders.

He said: “I am humbled and honoured to be recognised in this way. I would like to take this opportunity to thank everyone for their ongoing kindness and generosity.”

Ayrshire-born Benedetti said she was “very grateful” to be recognised with a CBE for services to music in her dual roles as a performer and an ambassador for classical music.

She said: “I am very grateful to receive this honour and hope only to take this opportunity to further my fierce commitment to providing enrichment, inspiration and variation to the education system and communities of the UK.

“I am more resolved than ever to challenge what it means to teach music well, and to reinforce my advocacy for arts and culture.”

Ms Gloag, who co-founded the Stagecoach transport empire with her brother Sir Brian Souter, is made a dame for services to business and philanthropy.

In 2008 she founded the Perth-based charity Freedom from Fistula, which provides free maternity care and surgery to women injured in childbirth. The charity’s three main projects are in Sierra Leone, Malawi and Kenya.

The former nurse, from Perthshire, founded Kenya Children’s Homes in 2002 and is also involved with hospital ship charity Mercy Ships.

Ms Gloag, who was already an OBE, said: “I am humbled and grateful to receive this honour. Never in my wildest dreams, growing up in a council house in Perth, did I think this would ever happen.”

Ms Martin is made a dame for services to sport. The former athlete was chair of Commonwealth Games Scotland from 1999 until 2007 and chair of sportscotland from 2008 to 2015.

She played a key role in bringing the Commonwealth Games to Glasgow and served as vice-chair of the Glasgow 2014 Organising Committee.

Meanwhile, there was a knighthood for Professor Michael Ferguson, regius professor of life sciences and academic lead for research strategy at Dundee University, who is honoured for services to science.

Professor Ferguson is one of the UK’s most eminent life scientists and helped build the Drug Discovery Unit in the university’s School of Life Sciences which has attracted over £75 million of investment to combat diseases.

He said: “I am thrilled to receive this great honour, but minded immediately that it recognises the efforts of many at the university.”

Margaret Ford, the chairwoman of STV was awarded an OBE for services to sport and business.

Baroness Ford has over 20 years experience chairing public and private companies and remains the sole female chair of a listed company in Scotland. She said: “It’s a real privilege to be honoured in this way.”

Kate Caithness, from Angus, president of the World Curling Federation, is made a CBE for services to sport.