The family of rugby league legend Rob Burrow have made their mark on the first of a series of concrete paving slabs to be used at the Rob Burrow Centre for Motor Neurone Disease being built at Seacroft Hospital in Leeds.
Macy, 12, Maya, nine, and Jackson, five, made their handprints in concrete along with their mum Lindsey and their grandparents.
Marking the next milestone in the new centre, the Burrow family created the first in a series of concrete paving slabs, which will be used throughout the centre’s landscaping, whilst the concrete foundations were poured on site. A series of paving slabs with prints from others involved in the creation of the site, including Dr Agam Jung and specialist nurse Claire Lang, will form the Hands of Hope Walk and sit in the gardens, a key part of the new site.
Craige Richardson, Director of Estates & Facilities for Leeds Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust says: “It’s exciting to mark this milestone in the new centre build and it was a really touching moment to be able to do this with Rob’s family. The type of building and construction that we opted for means that people are going to pretty quickly see the centre take shape, and that feels like we’re moving ever closer to getting it open and working for our MND patients.
“I’m grateful to everyone involved in the build for making this moment possible. It means the family will always have a connection to the place their father inspired and helped make a reality.”
A full construction schedule is in place, with the frame expected in November and the centre open by summer 2025. Leeds Hospitals Charity continues to fundraise for the centre, now just £400,000 short of their £6.8m target.
Paul Watkins, Director of Fundraising at Leeds Hospitals Charity says: “It has been great to involve the Burrow family in the new centre in this way, they have been a crucial part of this appeal from the start and, alongside Rob, have been dedicated to fundraising and to raising awareness of MND. It’s really exciting to share the progress of the build with the public; it won’t be long now before there is a shell in place for people to really appreciate what the centre will look like and the positive impact it will have on patients.”
