Rob Burrow's family sheds tears as work begins on huge tribute to hero
The family of Rob Burrow, the Leeds rugby star, have made an incredible gesture just hours after his death.
Rob Burrow's family has made an incredible gesture just hours after the rugby star's death.
Work has begun today to build a £6 million Rob Burrow Centre for Motor Neurone Disease in Leeds.
The rugby star died yesterday (June 2) at the age of 41 after a four-and-half-year battle with motor neurone disease (MND). He announced his diagnosis in 2019.
Since then, he has been raising money for a state-of-the-art, purpose-built care centre for Leeds Hospital Charity to serve those in the area.
Despite Burrow’s death, the charity said construction will go ahead as planned. The build is expected to take about a year and the charity remains focused on raising the last £1 million of their target.
Paul Watkins, director of fundraising at Leeds Hospitals Charity, told the PA news agency: "The family still want it to go ahead. That just shows how magnanimous and gracious they are. All along they have thought about others."
Mr Watkins, 55, added: "We’ve raised £5.85 million of the £6.8 million centre and we will continue until we get there.
"We’re just devastated at the news today. Rob’s work transcended the Rugby League community. At a time when he was most vulnerable, he put himself out there. Few people in the UK now don’t know what MND is, and a lot of that is because of Rob.
"I was lucky enough to be in the room with him many times and fortunate enough to catch that glint in his eye or his smile. His smile would light up any room. He was a joy to be around.
Fans of the Leeds Rhinos gathered outside Headingley Stadium yesterday to pay tribute to Burrow.
HGV driver Marc Hill, 31, told PA: "I’m absolutely gutted, just devastated. I idolised Rob Burrow growing up and he was probably one of the main reasons I got into rugby.
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"I met him a couple of times in passing. The funniest time was when I walked into a McDonald’s and he was sat in there. He always said hi and always had time for fans.
"He was a true inspiration and was relentless in every way. He meant everything to Leeds. He was Leeds.
"I’ve got a four-year-old and she was asking a lot of questions before I left to come here. We tell children he was someone you should aspire to be like."
Mr Hill also praised Burrow for his 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, he raised awareness massively. It just shows how much he’s brought it forward.”
