A new campaign has been launched to give Rob Burrow and Kevin Sinfield knighthoods following the emotional scenes at the inaugural Rob Burrow Leeds Marathon in May.
After raising £8 million and inspiring the entire nation with their friendship, people are now calling for the Rugby League legends to receive an honour from the King for their charity work.
Since Rob Burrows went public with his diagnosis in 2019, the pair have gone on to inspire thousands and bring hope to many through their fundraising efforts for Moto Neuron Diseas (MND).
Now, the national newspaper The Express is calling for the pair to be knighted as part of a campaign that has the backing of Leeds Rhinos Chief Executive Gary Hetherington and the MND Association, as well as of Rob's wife Lindsay.
The image of Kevin Sinfield carrying his former Leeds Rhinos teammate over the finish line at the event struck the hearts of many as a poignant reminder of the important role of friendship during the toughest of times.
After pushing Rob, who suffers from MND, for 26 miles in a specially-made wheelchair the current England Rugby Union defence coach finished by lifting his friend from his wheelchair in a moment that will undoubtedly go down in history.
Now, many in the UK are putting forward the case for the pair to be knighted - including calls from Lindsay, Rob's childhood sweetheart, wife of 17 years, and full-time carer.
Lindsey has previously said she thought that Kevin Sinfield should be knighted for his publicity-raising efforts at the event, and now The Express has backed her calls by launching a campaign to honour both men.
The petition, entitled 'Support Express campaign to bestow knighthoods on Rob Burrow and Kevin Sinfield', the description reads: "Rob Burrow and Kevin Sinfield deserve one of this country's highest honours in recognition of their inspiring fundraising and awareness-raising efforts.
Speaking to The Express, Leeds Rhinos Chief Executive Gary Hetherington said: "What they have both done is to significantly raise money and made both the profile of the MND Foundation, the movement and its striving to find a cure not only locally significant, but nationally and internationally.
"There is now recognition all over the world for what they've done. The Leeds Marathon had international publicity and recognition. The message about supporting the MND movement and striving to find an MND cure drew acclaim from across the world.
"Efforts led by Kevin and Rob generated this international profile."
If you would like to sign the petition, click here.
Farmer Copley's Tulip Festival is back and it's just as beautiful as we remember.
Spring has officially sprung and with it, so does Farmer Copley's iconic Tulip Festival that officially opened last Sunday.
Based in West Yorkshire, nestled between Pontefract and Featherstone, the Copley family really know how to get you feeling ready for the season ahead.
Just moments after entering the festival, we can assure you that winter will feel like a distant memory.
Images: The Hoot Leeds
Spanning over 8 acres, Jack and the team have planted over 600,00 tulip bulbs consisting of 100+ different varieties of all shapes and colours that arrived directly from the Netherlands.
In addition to the 500,000 planted last year, that means there's over one million tulips to enjoy - now that is pretty impressive if you ask us.
Varieties include Carnaval de Rio, Tom Pouce, Gavota, Lily Flowering Mix, Blushing Appledorn, Wedding Dress and Rodolfo.
Images: The Hoot Leeds
The festival includes five sections that have been split by 5 metre walkways enabling the best customer interaction in the field.
There's two dedicated pick your own areas where a mix of bulbs have been planted to ensure that visitors have a wide range of tulips to explore, pick from and create the perfect bunch of tulips. How lovely is that?
Of course there's plenty of photo opportunities, fairground rides and a bar to enjoy the view with a tipple or two.
This really is the perfect family-friendly day out and with the weather looking gorgeous (for now), we'd take the opportunity to see the tulips looking their best whilst you can.
The festival is on until Sunday 3 May 2026, with tickets starting from just £9.
To find out more and to book your ticket, take a look at Farmer Copleys website. We'll see you in the tulip fields.
Leeds has been crowned one of the best cities in the UK for student nightlife
Clementine Hall
Our city is bursting at the seems with brilliant late night venues for students, but now it’s officially been confirmed.
And it's all down to accommodation provider Canvas who analysed key nightlife factors such as drink prices, the number and ratings of venues, and local safety scores to reveal the best cities in the UK for a night out.
If you've got Leeds as your student city of choice then you're in for a brilliant three years, as we ranked number four in the top ten list. Get in.
Leeds has a whopping 325 venues and a strong 4.40 average rating, drink prices are relatively affordable drinks with a pint costing an average of a fiver and soft drinks at £1.71.
Images: The Hoot Leeds
Leeds also came out with a solid safety score of 47.28, so it's fair to say Leeds it’s a well-rounded option for students.Bath took the top spot with 10 venues per 10,000 people and an impressive average rating of 4.45 stars.
Coming in second, Manchester boasts the highest number of bars and clubs overall, with 606 venues, 15 for every 10,000 people and a strong average rating of 4.37 stars and a pint costing slightly less than Bath at £5.50.
In third place was Newcastle and in fifth place was York. It's safe to say that the North dominated the top spots, and rightly so.
The top ten best cities for student nightlife in the UK are:
Georgina Pellant -
7th June 2023 
