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.
The BBC is currently looking for contestants from Yorkshire to take part in what is widely considered the hardest quiz show on TV.
That's right - Only Connect is back for another series on BBC Two.
Presented by Victoria Coren Mitchell and first broadcast all the way back in 2008, Only Connect takes TV quizzing to the next level, as it sees two teams compete against each other by finding connections between seemingly unrelated clues.
In this quiz show - which viewers have dubbed one of the most challenging there is - knowledge only takes you so far, as the ability to think laterally is also deemed 'vitally important'.
A casting call for the upcoming 2027 series has been shared on the BBC website, with people from Yorkshire being encouraged to apply.
People from Yorkshire wanted to take part in a new series of the 'hardest quiz show on TV' / Credit: BBC
The casting call reads: "The popular BBC Two quiz show presented by Victoria Coren Mitchell returns for a new series in 2027.
"Only Connect is seeking teams of three players OR single applicants or teams of two looking for like-minded teammates to pool their combined wits to solve fiendish conundrums and vexing puzzles.
"This is the quiz series where, as in life itself, knowledge will only take you so far: patience and lateral thinking are also vital. It's all about making connections between things which may appear, at first glance, not to be connected at all."
Reckon you've got what it takes then? Applications are now open, and all applicants must be aged 18 or over and a resident in the UK or Channel Islands.
Leeds has been crowned one of the most ‘stressful’ locations in the UK to drive in
Lydia Mastrolonardo
Consider yourself a confident driver? Have a drive through Leeds.
Have you ever had the joy of driving the wrong way up a one-way road in Leeds City Centre? Perfect - then you know what we’re on about.
Whether you still have your L-plates on or you consider yourself a pro, driving can be anxiety inducing at the best of times, never mind when you’re in an unfamiliar area, with unclear signage and your passenger is reading the map upside down.
MoneySuperMarket recently conducted a study, to investigate where UK drivers felt least safe. It also uncovered that more than 8 in 10 UK drivers have avoided driving somewhere due to the journey feeling too stressful or difficult. We can’t be having that - nobody should have to miss out on visiting our lovely city.
Leeds sadly ranked as the fourth most stressful UK location to drive in, with an Overall Drivability Score of 25, closely following Manchester, then Derby, and Croydon at number one.
This was contrasted by Bath, which was named the ‘UK's easiest place to drive,’ where vehicle traffic has fallen by 0.9% over the last decade. To add insult to industry, Leeds racked up a whopping 6,000 road incidents, compared to the 357 incidents in Bath, in 2024.
The study analysed multiple factors, including road infrastructure, the numbers of road incidents, increasing traffic volumes, and higher levels of concern about vehicle crime, to conclude which locations drivers found most stressful.
It found that the top three sources of stress were dealing with aggressive or impatient drivers, driving in bad weather and driving in an unfamiliar area.
Carmine Mastrogiacomo, driving expert at Drive Therapy, revealed some ways that drivers can build their confidence on the road: "Confidence comes from experience. Start with routes you already know and repeat them regularly to build comfort. Gradually introduce new routes and challenges, setting realistic goals that stretch your ability without feeling overwhelming.
"If anxiety starts while driving, slowing your breathing can help your body relax. Try breathing in through your nose for four seconds, pausing, then breathing out through your mouth for six seconds. Practise this outside the car first, then use it when needed while driving.”
We may not be able to do anything about the weather, but come on - we can definitely curb (pardon the pun) that road rage and try to bring Leeds out of the top four this year.
Sophie Smith -
14th November 2022 
