Today, Rugby legend Rob Burrow’s parents, Geoff and Irene, together with Leeds Teaching Hospital’s MND patients, families and clinical team, and with 77 fundraisers for Leeds Hospitals Charity, came together to sign the frame of the Rob Burrow Centre for Motor Neurone Disease as it advances considerably in its build at Seacroft Hospital.
This milestone comes in the week following Kevin Sinfield’s latest epic challenge with his 7in7 team, which raised over £1,160,000 for MND charities.
At the event, Leeds Hospitals Charity surprised attendees, including 77 donors, when its Director of Fundraising, Paul Watkins announced that they have reached the £6.8 million fundraising target for the centre thanks to over 17,000 donors who have supported the appeal.
Paul Watkins said:
“It’s amazing that we’ve been able to raise £6.8 million in just three years. The Burrow family has inspired people across the country and created an incredible community who have supported this appeal, right from the beginning. To have some of those supporters here with us today, leaving their own mark on the frame, is just wonderful. We’d like to say thank you to every person, every company, every school group and sports team who have helped to make the building of this centre a reality. Now that we’ve reached the fundraising target for the construction of the building, we’re focused on continuing to support Leeds Teaching Hospitals, raising funds for the latest equipment, a therapeutic garden, family support services, holistic therapies and for the first time in Leeds, new research programmes.”
The new building will be a flagship centre in the North of England, covering more than 1,000m² with a striking design that includes a light and spacious atrium, wheelchair-accessible parking, and newly landscaped gardens. The building will enable all care and support for patients and their families to take place in one dedicated space, with a view to including research at some point in the future.
MND patients have complex, changing needs. The centre has been designed to meet these needs and to be adaptable for the needs of patients in the future.
Craige Richardson, Director for Estates & Facilities, Leeds Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust says,
“I’m really proud to be a part of this important milestone moment in the new centre build, and to have all these people here on site, who have played such a role in shaping the design and supporting the fundraising, it’s really great. I’m delighted we can be here.
“We selected an offsite construction for the centre, which means that the building is quickly taking shape and progress is going well. The site team will soon be focusing on the interior clinical spaces and it won’t be long until the opening next summer.”
You can donate to support through Leeds Hospitals Charity’s website https://www.leedshospitalscharity.org.uk/mnd
Why is a new centre needed?
The Leeds Hospitals Charity appeal recognises the need for a dedicated centre in Leeds, providing a better patient environment.
Seacroft Hospital was originally built in the early 20th century with care for infectious diseases in mind; the area used for the current MND care clinic is restricted in how it can be adapted to patient needs and those of their families and carers.
- Located on a busy multi-purpose ward not built with MND patients in mind.
- Limited private space for patients and families to be alone after receiving life-changing news.
- Challenging for those with mobility issues.
- Wheelchairs especially adapted for MND patients are too wide for the door frames of the centre.
- Facilities such as rest areas and toilets are unable to be equipped with the hoists and aids needed for patients with mobility impairments.
- Over the past ten years, both the number of people with MND referred to the centre and the size of the care team itself has doubled.
Leeds Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust
Leeds Teaching Hospitals is one the largest and busiest acute hospital trusts in Europe. Every year Leeds Teaching Hospitals provides healthcare and specialist services for people from the city of Leeds, Yorkshire and the Humber and beyond. We play an important role in the training and education of medical, nursing and dental students, and are a centre of world-class research and pioneering new treatments.
Leeds Teaching Hospitals has a budget of over £1.9 billion and employs around 22,000 staff. There are 1.6 million patients treated every year in our hospitals.
Our care and clinical expertise is delivered from seven hospitals on five sites, and they are all joined by our vision to be the best for specialist and integrated care.
About Leeds Hospitals Charity
Leeds Hospitals Charity is the charity partner of Leeds Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust, one of the biggest healthcare trusts in Europe.
We raise funds for projects, above and beyond what the NHS can provide, to support the latest in healthcare innovation and technology, the treatment of rare conditions and to help reduce health inequalities.
Working with local communities, schools and businesses across the city and beyond, we provide £6 million in additional funding for Leeds Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust every year, supporting one million patients and their families and 22,000 NHS staff.
Leeds Hospitals Charity is a registered charity in England and Wales (1170369) and is an accredited member of the Association of Medical Research Charities (AMRC).
I&G
I&G is a construction company that has been operating across Yorkshire for over 50 years (established in 1972). In November 2017 it became part of the Sewell Group, a Sunday Times Top 100 company and Queen’s Award winner.
I&G are proud to be building the new Rob Burrow Centre for Motor Neurone Disease at Seacroft Hospital in Leeds, the first of its kind in the UK. Working alongside Leeds Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust, the new building will house MND services under one roof for the first time, making a huge difference to the lives of patients and their families.
The building is being constructed using modern methods of construction, allowing a quicker, more efficient and more environmentally friendly process than a traditional build.
