Leeds Rhinos director of rugby Kevin Sinfield initially targeted raising £77,777 but ended up raising £2.2m; Sinfield: “The MND Association has been absolutely wonderful; the support, the knowledge, the ability to educate our team has really helped us put a plan together.”
Last Updated: 31/03/21 10:55pm
Kevin Sinfield (left) was inspired by former Leeds Rhinos teammate Rob Burrow to raise money to help those diagnosed with MND
Kevin Sinfield’s ‘7 in 7 Challenge’ raised £2.2m for the Motor Neurone Disease (MND) Association after he was inspired by Leeds Rhinos team-mate Rob Burrow, who is living with the disease.
Sinfield completed seven marathons in as many days last December, with his amazing achievement contributing greatly to an overall £5.7m cash boost for the charity.
3:46 Kevin Sinfield feels ‘completely overwhelmed’ after raising more than £1m for the Motor Neurone Disease Association by completing seven marathons in seven days to support his close friend and former team-mate Rob Burrow.
The money raised by Sinfield will be split three ways, with £1.25m going to frontline support services; £300,000 devoted to local support in the north of England, and £655,000 attributed to research into the disease.
Sinfield said: “The MND Association has been absolutely wonderful; the support, the knowledge, the ability to educate our team has really helped us put a plan together.
“You can go into this blind, there’s all that money and, in effect, we were happy to hand it over and say, ‘You spend it where it’s needed’.
“But we felt it was really important that we understood where the money was being used and then ultimately Rob and his family were key to the journey too.
0:37 Former Leeds Rhinos player Rob Burrow – who is battling motor neurone disease – says it is an honour to receive an MBE.
“It was really important to us that they were happy with it as well because they’ve lived it, they understand the challenges of living with MND and if there was anything we had missed or there were areas that between us we felt needed extra support, then we ensured we had it covered off.”
MND Association’s chief executive Sally Light said: “Kevin was impressed by the breadth of the work we undertake and was particularly keen to support those services which have benefited Rob and his family – having seen first-hand the positive impact of those.
“This money will make such a real difference not only now but into the future as we use it to explore new ways of providing support and driving research.”
Speaking to Sky Sports Rugby shortly after completing his remarkable challenge, Sinfield said: “It’s the greatest thing I’ve ever done, without a shadow of a doubt. There’s no better feeling in the world than being able to help people.
“To see Rob’s face after running, to get his text every night, they’re just priceless moments.”
