Macmillan has raised £3m from viral fundraising craze the ice bucket challenge, while the Motor Neurone Disease Association has raised another £2m, the two charities said today.

The challenge sees people pour a bucket of iced water over their head and make a £5 donation to charity. Anyone who completes the challenge can nominate three more people to take part.

The challenge was popularised in the United States by supporters of the ALS Association, the sister charity of the MND Association. A host of celebrities have since taken part, including David Beckham, George W Bush, and Bill Gates.

MND is usually known in the US as ALS, after the most common form of motor neurone disease, amyotrophic lateral sclerosis.

According to the MNDA JustGiving page, it has now raised £2.1m from the challenge. MND Scotland, a separate charity, has raised another £170,000.

MNDA tweeted only yesterday that donations from the challenge had reached £1m, but it said it passed the £2m mark early this morning. MNDA's annual income last year was just £13.3m.

Macmillan Cancer Support has also asked supporters to raise money through the challenge, and has raised £3m. But Macmillan has faced controversy over its decision to use the challenge to fundraise. Last it was forced to reject claims it hijacked the challenge, saying it originated in New Zealand, and was brought to the UK from there by Macmillan supporters.

The ALS Association in the US has raised around $80m (£48m) in the last month, compared to $2.5m in the same period last year