Rob Burrow's final wish fulfilled with groundbreaking of new MND centre in Leeds

Kevin Sinfield joined the family of the late Rob Burrow for a poignant event on Monday, following Burrow's death at 41 on Sunday, after a battle with MND.

Sinfield, a close friend and former teammate at Leeds Rhinos and England, was present alongside Burrow's parents Geoff and Irene for the groundbreaking ceremony of the Rob Burrow Centre for Motor Neurone Disease. The ceremony marked a proud yet emotional moment, especially for Geoff and Irene, who were visibly moved during the event. The duo has been instrumental in raising approximately £15 million for charity, and one of their projects saw significant progress with the commencement of the new £6 million facility at Seacroft Hospital in Leeds.

Irene Burrow shared her thoughts with BBC Breakfast: "He was asked, we were all there and Rob used his eyes to say yes. There was no hesitation whatsoever, he wants it to go ahead today. The sooner they can get this done the better. Not just for the families, but the professional people there, it will make their lives a lot easier, giving bad news to people. He'll be watching today, we've pulled ourselves together because that's what Rob would have wanted. It's amazing to be here today for Rob. We're flying the flag, beating the drum and we will get a cure."

The Burrow family, joined by key architect Toby Ingle, Leeds Hospitals Charity's director of fundraising, Paul Watkins, consultant neurologist Dr Agam Jung who was pivotal in Rob's clinical care team, specialist nurse Claire Lang and fundraiser Katie Dowson who lost her father to MND, all gathered for the groundbreaking event.

Geoff, his dad added: "He'll be up there, looking down saying 'shut up mother! ' But to have a care centre with his name on it, and not just the