Work to start on £6m Rob Burrow MND center a day after his death was announced

Work to build a new £6m Rob Burrow Center for Motor Neurone Disease in Leeds will start on Monday, a day after the former rugby player’s death was announced.

Burrow died at the age of 41 after a four and a half year battle with the incurable disease. She was just 37 and had three children under the age of eight when she announced her diagnosis in 2019.

The former Leeds Rhinos player has since led a £6.8m charity appeal for Leeds Hospitals Charity, where he received care, for a purpose-built state-of-the-art care center for those with MND living in and around the city. Town.

With almost £6m raised for the project, work was due to start on Monday with an appearance by the Burrows.

Despite news of Burrow’s death on Sunday, the charity said construction would go ahead as planned.

Paul Watkins, director of fundraising at Leeds Hospitals Charity, told the PA news agency: “The family still want to move on. That just shows how generous and gracious they are.

“They always thought of others.”

Construction is expected to take around a year and the charity remains focused on raising the final £1m of their target.

Mr Watkins, 55, added: “We have raised £5.85m of the £6.8m center and we will keep going until we get there.

“We are devastated by today’s news. Rob’s work has transcended the Rugby League community. At a time when he was most vulnerable, he put himself there.

“Few people in the UK now don’t know what MND is and a lot of that is down to Rob.

“I was lucky enough to be in the room with him many times and lucky enough to catch that twinkle in his eye or smile. His smile would light up any room.

“He was a joy to be around.”

Fans gathered outside Headingley Stadium, home of Leeds Rhinos, on Sunday to pay tribute to Burrow.

HGV driver Marc Hill, 31, told the PA: “I’m absolutely gutted. Just devastated.

“I idolized Rob Burrow growing up and he was probably one of the main reasons I got into rugby. I met him a few times in passing. The funniest time was when I walked into a McDonald’s and he was standing there. He always said hello and always had time for fans.

“He was a true inspiration and relentless in every way. He meant everything to Leeds. He was Leeds.

“I have a four-year-old and she was asking a lot of questions before I left to come here. We tell kids that there was someone you should aspire to be.”

Mr Hill also praised Burrow for its dedication to raising awareness of MND both in Leeds and across the UK.

He said: “I didn’t know what MND was when it first came out. For me personally, it raised massive awareness. It just shows how much he brought forward.”