Rob Burrow Centre for MND hits £6.8 million target with opening date set

The £6.8 million required to build the Rob Burrow Centre for MND has been met with Burrow’s parents celebrating the landmark figure.

Geoff and Irene Burrow will sign the timber frame of the centre which is set to be opened in the summer of 2025 at Seacroft Hospital.

Rob Burrow helped raise millions of pounds and massive amounts of awareness regarding Motor Neurone Disease, a neurological condition that he was diagnosed with in December 2019.

Currently, there is no cure for the condition but that has been spun by the likes of Kevin Sinfield and Geoff Burrow, both prominent campaigners, into the mantra that ‘MND is not incurable, it’s just underfunded’.

As such, raising the funds to build a new centre for MND patients is a massive step forward to tackling this disease and finding a cure.

Finding a cure is something that Kevin Sinfield has recently claimed would be a fitting legacy for Rob Burrow, who passed away after his four-and-a-half-year battle with the disease in June this year.

Regardless, his legacy will live on through his family, this centre in his name and various fundraising efforts, the latest of which saw former teammate Kevin Sinfield complete seven ultra-marathons in seven days and raise over £1.1 million.

“Thank you everyone” – Rob Burrow Centre for MND meets funding target

‘Who would have believed in three years the kindness of so many people’

Rob Burrow’s parents Geoff and Irene spoke to #BBCBreakfast after announcing the £6.8m target had been reached to build the Rob Burrow Centre for Motor Neurone Disease in Leedshttps://t.co/S0R4GMe1e6 pic.twitter.com/0MFiRHvT5b

— BBC Breakfast (@BBCBreakfast) December 10, 2024

Speaking today at the site, Geoff and Irene Burrow proudly unfurled a banner confirming that the £6.8 million target had been met in order to build the Rob Burrow Centre for MND.

His father, Geoff, asked: “Who would have believed that in three years the kindness of so many people across the country to raise this in Rob’s name?

“Dr Jung and Lindsay and Rob dreamt this up three years ago. A lot of people didn’t believe that it would happen and it has happened, so thank you everyone.

“It gets bigger and bigger every time we come. What a place, what a country this is.”

Irene added: “Kind generosity from everyone, you cannot believe it can you?

“When they said the sum of £6.8 million that people have donated, it’s unbelievable. We’re so proud and I’m sure Rob will be here today looking down and be so proud of everybody. Thank you for all the kind generosity shown.”

The donation page for the centre has confirmed that with the help of over 17,000 donors, the target has been met. Information can be found here.