Leeds Rhinos legend Rob Burrow MBE's campaign for Motor Neurone Disease (MND) funding has been rejected by the UK government.
Geoff Burrow, father of the former Rhinos star, took to social media to share his anger at the lack of funding for MND in the government budget announcement.
A coalition of MND organisations, researchers and campaigners, including Geoff Burrow, submitted a funding bid to the government in September to request official funding into the life-changing condition.
Rob and Geoff Burrow and Lindsay Hoyle MP in September, before delivering a patient letter requesting increased MND research funding to Downing Street. / Image: Jane Halhead
MND is a degenerative disease that has left Leeds Rhinos legend of 16 years, Rob Burrow, paralysed and forced to communicate with his family through an eye-driven device.
The condition affects nerves in the brain and spinal cord and has life-changing consequences for anyone diagnosed with the condition.
The proposal for additional funding had been backed by business secretary Kwasi Kwawrteng but the budget announcement on Wednesday saw the pledge omitted.
There are currently over 5,000 people in the UK living with the "brutal disease" according to the MDA Association.
Chief Executive, Sally Light commented on the lack of funding as "disappointing".
"The government hasn't listened to our plea to invest £50 million in targeted MND research. Our researchers are on the cusp of a breakthrough in discovering treatments for MND but they need a meaningful injection of funding".
Father of Rob Burrow, Geoff Burrow desperately issued a plea on social media asking the government to reconsider.
Rob Burrow has diagnosed with MND in December 2019 and is cared for full-time by his wife Lyndsey.
The ex-Rhinos star spoke out earlier this year about his condition, saying that "it's beautiful being cared for by the only girl you've ever loved".
The Burrow family have been supported online, with many fans and strangers to Rob's celebrity status alike commenting kind words in response to the tweet.
"We are outraged Geoff! Time for people to stand up and force action. We love you @Rob7Burrow".
"Same old same old words are cheap. They are happy to jump on a good cause when it gets them publicity. The wee man has did more than his share to raise awareness we must all push on and keep it in the headlines. Well done for talking out Mr B".
There is a fundraising event from the Motor Neurone Disease Association taking place on Saturday 6 November where a folk concert performance is hoping to raise funds for research.
There is also the Doncaster 10K and Clowe Half Marathon events in November and plenty of other opportunities to get involved in campaigning to fund the condition.
Daniel Farke is urging fans to not get ahead of themselves following last night's massive win over Sunderland as Leeds gave their prospects of a Premier League return a massive leg up.
Returning to the top of the table after a last-gap 2-1 victory over the North East side, Leeds United now lead the league on 72 points as promotion back to the top flight is looking increasingly likely.
But we all know how football goes, especially in the Championship...
With that in mind, although Farke confessed it was "a great night for everyone connected to Leeds United", he was quick to remind his players, staff and supporters that there's still a lot of work to do.
"I never thought I would ever get a yellow card for celebrating"
Daniel Farke shares his thoughts on getting booked for celebrating Leeds' 95th minute equaliser ? pic.twitter.com/tfLxXjE6AK
Speaking after the full-time whistle and when everyone had just about caught their breath back, the 48-year-old said: "These types of wins are the best kind you can have in football for the supporters and the whole group."
Despite being booked for joining in the celebrations and seeming rather puzzled by the decision, the German head coach went on to describe the victory as "priceless points", and "a great night for everyone connected to Leeds United."
However, being fully aware of how fine the margins were and continue to be, he warned everyone to avoid getting carried away, adding: "We haven't won anything yet."
In case you weren't watching for whatever reason, it was a tense home outing against fellow playoff challengers, who took the lead through Wilson Isidor in the first half.
Nevertheless, a brilliant brace came from a somewhat unlikely yet increasingly less surprising source as Pascal Struijk notched his fourth and fifth goal of the season within just over a quarter of an hour - the fans just had to wait agonisingly until the very last quarter or so.
"This is the best Leeds side I've seen in the Championship, the substitutions changed the course of the game" ?
Andy Hinchcliffe praises Leeds and Daniel Farke after their late win over Sunderland ⚪ pic.twitter.com/9NgHcNcje0
Struijk's stoppage-time winner in the 95th minute understandably sent Elland Road into raptures which, as you can see, have been described as some of the best the league has seen in a while.
As Farke says, there's still a long way to go and Leeds won't want to rely on the bare minimum amount to qualify for the playoffs; with 42 points still up for grabs this campaign and teams on their tail, the next few months are going to be stressful.
You can hear Daniel Farke's post-match interview in full HERE and watch the rest of the highlights from a blockbuster finish and a fantastic start to the week for Whites down below:
Featured Images — Sky Sports/Leeds United (screenshots via YouTube)
Sport
Northern Superchargers fixtures confirmed for The Hundred 2025
Danny Jones
The fixtures for The Hundred 2025 have officially been revealed and we now have confirmation as to when we can expect to see Northern Superchargersgetting underway.
One of the fastest-growing competitions not only in cricket but sport, in general, this is just the fifth year of The Hundred but it’s promising to be the biggest and most ambitious yet.
Moving back to its traditional summer slot – set to take place throughout the month of August – well over half a million fans are expected to enjoy the action up and down the country.
You can find the full list of Northern Superchargers fixtures for this year’s Hundred schedule here:
Getting their campaign underway with the first double-header against Welsh Fire on Thursday, 7 August at home in Headingley, it's going to be a brilliant day of cricket - hopefully with plenty of sun to boot.
The Superchargers' first away game comes against Nottingham's Trent Rockets on Sunday (10 August) before heading down South the following Wednesday (13 Aug).
2024 alone saw a global women’s cricket attendance record shattered and with the double-header fixtures set to return, more history beckons for the tournament.
If you’ve never been along to The Hundred before, game days feature plenty of pre-match pageantry and fanfare before the women’s teams get the toss first.
Although there’s music, food and drink to be enjoyed throughout the day, one of the best parts about a day at The Hundred is the entertainment, with other games, activities, competitions and live performances before, during and after the break.
"You get fantastic crowds to play in front of at the biggest venues, with great support. I have absolutely loved being a part of the Superchargers", he continued.
"Captaining last year was a great experience, as was working alongside Freddie [Andrew Flintoff]. We have a great group of players that we will hopefully manage to retain for this year’s competition.
"We'll be looking to build on the momentum we have started to gather as a squad over the last few seasons."
You can get ready grab your tickets on pre-sale and found when general admission goes live HERE.
Sophie Smith -
29th October 2021 
