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Kevin Sinfield raises over £250,000 as he begins Ultra 7 in 7 challenge across the UK
Kevin will be passing through Leeds and making a stop at Headingley Stadium on Friday around 11.30am.
Yesterday, former Leeds Rhino player Kevin Sinfield embarked on a gruelling ultra 7 in 7 challenge, which will see the player run from Edinburgh to Manchester in just seven days.
Running almost 40 miles per day, the sporting legend is raising money for Motor Neurone Disease charities, inspired by friend and former team mate Rob Burrow.
So far a whopping £270,000+ has been donated to the cause, but Sinfield hopes to hit £777,777 by the time the week is though. A huge donation of £27,600, £100 for each mile of the ultra marathon has been reportedly donated by Leeds Rhinos biggest sponsors, Leeds Building Society.
The full route has now been published, and you can cheer the former Leeds Rhinos player on as he passes through Melrose, Otterburn, Newcastle, Chester-le-Street, Middlesbrough, Thirsk, York, Tadcaster, Leeds, Bradford, Halifax and Oldham before finishing his journey at Old Trafford in Manchester, during the Rugby League World Cup final.
The ‘Ultra 7 in 7 Challenge’ will see the former Rhinos captain to run over 60 km each day in order to reach the destination in time, and will travel through Melrose, Newcastle, York, Bradford, Middlesborough and Leeds before arriving in Manchester.
During the leg from York to Bradford, it has been reported that former team mate Richie Mathers, who played with Sinfield in 2004 Super League Grand Final, will join Sinfield.
The idea is that Sinfield will reach Old Trafford at half-time during the men’s rugby league World Cup final on Saturday 19 November, having set off six days prior on Sunday 13 November 2022.
Having already raised a whopping £5.5 million for charity from previous challenges, this time, Sinfield aims to raise a further £777,777 for people living with MND, which will be split between Motor Neurone Disease Association, Leeds Hospitals Charity, The Darby Rimmer MND Foundation, My Name'5 Doddie Foundation and MND Scotland.
The pair played together for Leeds Rhinos. Sinfield played for the team for 18 years and Burrow, 16.
Sinfield told BBC Breakfast this morning that he “want the MND community, Rob, Doddie, Stephen and Ed to know there are people willing to go to some dark places for them”.
The challenge will see the money donated split between five different charities that work to support people affected by Motor Neurone Disease.
Two years after his retirement in 2017, Rob Burrow was diagnosed with Motor Neurone Disease, a life-changing condition that affects nerves in the brain and spinal cord.
So far, Sinfield has raised just over £3000 since the announcement less than 24 hours ago, and it is expected this number will only continue to increase as the challenge date looms closer.
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You can donate to the Sinfield Ultra 7 in 7 Challenge via the dedicated Give As You Live Page here.
Feature Image- Leeds Rhinos
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New study crowns Leeds as one of the friendliest cities in the UK
Clementine Hall
New research has revealed a global ranking of cities with the best customer service, with Leeds taking one of the top spots.
If you've been wondering which cities across the world are the friendliest of them all, then look no further because MoneySuperMarket have done the work for us in a new study.
In a world where social media culture plays a huge part in people's lives, online customer reviews are pretty important to local businesses.
To uncover the global locations that are home to the best customer service, the businesses insurance experts analysed over 100,000 reviews of leisure and hospitality businesses in 107 cities worldwide.
They looked at the language in the reviews to see how often friendly workers and staff were mentioned, building a global ranking of the cities where customer service truly stands out.
Out of a whopping 107, Leeds came in at a very respectable number 12. Now we think that's pretty good going.
Outside of the UK, Hanoi, Paris, Montreal and Abu Dhabi were highlighted for their friendly customer service whilst Edinburgh tops the global ranking, with Liverpool, Birmingham and Bristol also making the world’s top 10.
The top 10 cities in the UK with the best customer service are as follows:
- Edinburgh
- Liverpool
- Birmingham
- Bristol
- Belfast
- Leeds
- Glasgow
- Cardiff
- Manchester
- London
Alicia Hempsted spoke on the study: “As businesses grow and engage with more customers, it’s important to make sure they’re protected. Public liability insurance is an important safeguard for those working with the public, helping to cover costs if something goes wrong, while also showing customers that their experience is taken seriously - from the moment they walk through the door to long after they’ve left.”
Read more from The Hoot Leeds: ‘This Yorkshire city has it all’ – Leeds crowned as one of the UK’s most underrated city breaks
Featured image - The Hoot Leeds
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Prime Minister expected to announce extra bank holiday if England win the 2026 World Cup
Danny Jones
Prime Minister Keir Starmer is reportedly set to announce an extra bank holiday if England win the 2026 FIFA World Cup.
What a way to sign off from the highest office in Great Britain, eh?
According to Sky News journalist Beth Rigby, the outgoing PM is expected to reveal an extended period of celebration across the country if/should/WHEN (you’ve got to believe) the Three Lions reach this year’s World Cup final and lift the biggest prize in global sport.
Starmer may be gearing up to leave No. 10 Downing Street soon, but he can certainly earn himself a few more points in the pros column should this familiar rumour come to fruition.
As Rigby states in her post on X, this decision would fall just before the transition in leadership, with Greater Manchester’s own Mayor Andy Burnham all but confirmed at the head of the table already within the Labour Party cabinet.
The incumbent announced he would resign last month, with Burnham declaring himself in the running not long after, winning the Makerfield seat and marking his return as an MP after nearly a decade away from Parliament.
Regarding the still only potential bank holiday – Thomas Tuchel’s side still need to make it through the quarter-final and the semis, remember – the Sky reporter states that the following Friday, 24 July, is the most likely date.
Understandably, plenty on social media are already rejoicing over the prospect, but some aren’t content with waiting a week to carry on the post-trophy lift party, with many arguing that it should be the Monday morning immediately after the final next Sunday (19/2/2026).
Let’s be honest, there’ll be lots of people pulling sickies regardless of whether or not their bosses are left to grant a day off.
Many have already rightly argued that such decisions should have been made in the past after the Lionesses won not just one but two back-to-back European Championships; we’re willing to forgive and move on if the powers that be make it happen this time.
Once again, all of this is still yet to be verified by Starmer himself, though both he and Burnham have hinted at a bank holiday previously.
Starmer recently said that despite always believing England will “go all the way”, he didn’t want to jinx anything, simply telling the BBC’s Chris Mason: “Ask me again if we make the final.”
Either way, the general jubilation should England end 60 ‘years of hurt’ will be nothing short of colossal, and it would only feel right given the sheer gravity of the would-be achievement.
We’re even getting excited merely by the idea of some additional and, at present, strictly hypothetical pre- and post-match entertainment…
Read more: Leeds shoppers can take part in a real-life supermarket sweep competition
Featured Images — No. 10 Downing Street (via Flickr)/Ank Kumar (via Wikimedia Commons)
Sophie Smith -
14th November 2022 
