A lasting legacy at the Rob Burrow Centre for MND

The MND community, including Rob’s parents Geoff and Irene Burrow, came together to leave their permanent mark on the Rob Burrow Centre for Motor Neurone Disease’s timber frame.

The MND Centre started construction in the summer, with the ground-breaking ceremony taking place in June, just a few days after the sad news of Rob Burrow’s death.

Six months on, the timber frame is going up, and the building is already taking shape. 77 fundraisers, plus the Burrow family, MND patients and Leeds Teaching Hospital’s clinical staff, signed the frame of the centre, leaving a lasting mark on the building.

Craige Richardson, Director for Estates & Facilities, Leeds Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust said: “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.

“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.”

Organised surprised attendees at the event with the news that, thanks to the support of 17,000 donors, they’ve reached the fundraising target for the centre.

Paul Watkins, Director of Fundraising at Leeds Hospitals Charity 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, which is being built by I&G, 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.

You can donate to support through Leeds Hospitals Charity’s website https://www.leedshospitalscharity.org.uk/mnd