The new Rob Burrow Centre for Motor Neurone Disease (MND) is being built on the Seacroft Hospital site in Leeds and will bring a much-needed resource to the region. The new centre, named after rugby league legend, Rob Burrow CBE, will see all MND services housed under one roof for the first time and the team are excited to see work progressing at pace on site, with foundations going in.
I&G is delighted to be working alongside The Leeds Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust and Leeds Hospitals Charity who have been fundraising to bring Rob’s vision to life.
Following the sad news of the death of Rob Burrow, a ground-breaking event took place on 3 June 2024, following Rob’s wish that we continue to mark this significant milestone. The event was attended by many of the project’s supporters, including clinical staff, fundraisers, architects, patients and their families, Rob’s parents and sisters, and Kevin Sinfield.
Prior to his passing, Rob Burrow, CBE shared this message:
“This care centre, named in my honour, stands as a beacon of hope and support. It’s a place where patients will find not only medical assistance but also the compassionate care and understanding they deserve, for them and for their families. Our journey with this disease is challenging, but together, through this centre, we will create a community that uplifts and empowers each other.”
Rob’s dream was to have a specialist centre for people living with MND and their families, giving people living with MND the best possible care and support. And over the last few years the fundraising efforts of many people have made this a reality, with the fundraising target of £6.8 million in sight.
One of these inspirational people is Ian Flatt, who has raised over £24,000 so far.
Ian lives with MND and has set out on his own fundraising mission, most recently his ‘7 Mountains’ challenge, scaling seven peaks in three weeks in his off-road powered wheelchair, joined by hundreds of supporters along the way, including some of the team from I&G.
Ian began his challenge on 15th June, starting at Whernside, the highest of the Yorkshire Three Peaks. The challenge saw Ian trek through the Yorkshire Dales, climb mount Snowdon, Pen-y-Fan, in South Wales, Ben Chonzie in Scotland and Skiddaw in the Lake District, ending at Roseberry Topping on 7 July.
A view from I&G MD, Christopher Carline…
“The thing that hits you first with the MND Centre is just how much it means to each and every person connected to it. The MND community, the dedicated clinical teams, the charity, external fundraisers, public, project and design teams have all collectively wrapped their arms around the scheme to help push it forward and this has been no mean feat!
The Trust and design teams have worked tirelessly over the past 8 months to deliver a detailed and thoughtful design in record time, allowing us to get started on site quickly and start developing the scheme at pace. Work has commenced on the foundations and we are busy planning the next stages to ensure the programme can be delivered on time, which is testament to all the teams involved.”
The team have been on site for several weeks now, clearing the area, marking out the footprint of the building, managing drainage diversions and preparing the ground for foundation works.
Last week, excavation works began and the concrete foundations are now being poured, which are expected to take up to ten weeks. The first phase of foundations, which go to depths of 3m are about 10% complete, with the structural concrete layer to follow.
Daily site meetings are taking place with the I&G team and subcontractors to ensure rapid progress is made and everyone is working towards the same goal.
Once foundations are set, this will trigger the start of the below ground masonary and pre-cast concrete suspended floor slab, ready for the super structure to start to take shape.
The build is being managed by father and son Site Manager team, Darren and Harry Watt.
“I can’t believe that we have reached this moment. It has been an incredibly fast-paced journey from my initial idea and discussions with Rob and Lindsey Burrow in 2020 to breaking ground now in 2024! I have so many emotions at present, gratitude being the foremost and of course immense pride as well. What we thought was a pipe dream in 2020 will soon become a reality taking us a step forward for our patient care and MND services.”
