Former England rugby captain Kevin Sinfield is set to embark upon his most gruelling challenge yet to raise vital funds for charity MNDA.
After he captured the support of the nation when he completed the mammoth task of running seven marathons in seven days back in December 2020, and raised well over £2.7 million in the process, the Oldham-born 41-year-old has announced that he will attempt to run a whopping 101 miles in 24-hours.
The challenge is called #TheExtraMile, and this time round, he hopes to raise £100,000 for those impacted by motor neurone disease.
Sinfield will attempt to run from the home ground of Leicester Tigers – the club which he has joined the coaching staff of – to Emerald Headingley Stadium in Leeds in 24 hours, and it’s all to raise funds for the MND Association and The Rob Burrow Centre for MND.
His fundraising and awareness efforts are inspired by Sinfield’s friend and former Leeds teammate Rob Burrow, who was diagnosed with MND in December 2019.
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🗺️ 101 miles ⏱️ 24 hours 💙 £100,000
Today, Kevin Sinfield announced his latest challenge in honour of @Rob7Burrow and families affected by motor neurone disease.#TheExtraMile Challenge.
Speaking to MNDA ahead of tackling the new challenge, Kevin said: “Undoubtedly, this will the toughest challenge I have ever attempted.
“But I know it will mean so much to so many people if we can reach our fundraising target.
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“In my short time at the Tigers, the people in Leicester have made me feel so welcome and it is wonderful that we have been able to come up with an event that starts in Leicester and finishes with us coming home to Emerald Headingley.”
Initially, Sinfield and his team had planned to run 100 miles, but the actual distance has worked out to be 101 miles – hence the run being named ‘The Extra Mile Challenge’.
Sinfield and his team will cover the route – which will be publicised in advance, so well wishers can come out to cheer them on – in 7km stages, each of which must be completed inside an hour with the next starting on the hour.
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The challenge will begin on Monday 22 November.
👏 On November 22/23, Kevin Sinfield will be aiming to raise £100,000 as he runs the 101 miles from @LeicesterTigers to @leedsrhinos in 24 just hours!
“The response from the public last year was breath taking and I know, from feedback we have received from the MND Association, every penny that was raised has been put to good use to help members of the MND community across England and Wales,” Kevin continued.
“The more money we can raise, the more people we can help and ultimately find a cure for this cruel disease.
“We have seen science and research do some incredible things over the last year and I know so much work is going on to find a breakthrough for MND.
“I am sure there will be tough times as we pound the streets during the day and night, in cold November temperatures, but knowing the good we can all achieve together will be a huge motivation for everyone involved.”
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Kevin appeared on BBC Breakfast yesterday to talk a little more about the challenge.
“Kevin, you give us inspiration, you give us hope that there may be a future”⁰ On #BBCBreakfast campaigner Cris Hoskin, who lost six family members to MND, has this emotional thank you for Kevin Sinfield as he announces a new charity challenge 💕 https://t.co/chPkhtmLbkpic.twitter.com/PvFVUZinwW
In addition to public donations, Sinfield is hoping to attract five key benefactors – whose logos will appear on his running vest – to donate £20,000 each.
This should then double the proceeds raised to £200,000.
Donations will be split equally between the Leeds Hospitals Charity appeal to build the Rob Burrow Centre for MND supporting people living with the disease and their families, and the MND Association, which funds multi-disciplinary care across the country, as well as research into potential treatments.
Over £11,000 has already been raised, with donations rising every minute.
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You can find out more information, and make a donation to Kevin Sinfield’s ‘The Extra Mile Challenge’ here.
Featured Image – Twitter (@MNDA)
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Government to begin giving millions of UK workers ‘significant’ pay rises from this week
Emily Sergeant
The Government is to begin giving more than three million workers across the UK a ‘significant pay boost’ from this week.
Announced as part of last year’s Budget, and in a bid to ‘put thousands of pounds back in the pockets of working people every year’, the Government confirmed back at the beginning of February that a new National Living Wage of £12.21 per hour, and a new National Minimum Wage of £10 per hour would take effect from April onwards.
Ministers said the 6.7% increase to the National Living Wage – which is now worth £1,400 a year for an eligible full-time worker – is a ‘significant step’ towards delivering the manifesto commitment to deliver a ‘genuine’ living wage.
Today, millions of working people will get a pay rise as the National Living Wage and National Minimum Wage increase.
New rates:
🔹 from £11.44 to £12.21 if you’re 21 and over 🔹 from £8.60 to £10.00 if you’re 18-20 🔹 from £6.40 to £7.55 if you’re under 18 or an apprentice
— UK Prime Minister (@10DowningStreet) April 1, 2025
On top of this, the National Minimum Wage for 18-20-year-olds is also set to go up by a record increase of £1.40 an hour, which means full-time younger workers eligible for the rate will see their pay boosted by £2,500 a year.
The minimum wage pay boot has also been called the first step towards removing the ‘unfair’ age-bands that see a 21-year-old getting paid more than a 20-year-old for doing the same job.
According to the Government, this is also the first time the National Living Wage has taken into account the cost of living and inflation.
Three million UK workers will be getting a ‘significant’ pay rise from this week / Credit: Pexels
“In the last Parliament, living standards were the worst on record and sky-high inflation was crushing working people’s finances,” commented Chancellor Rachel Reeves, explaining why the pay boosts are being introduced.
“Making work pay is good for workers, will strengthen businesses’ workforces, and will grow our economy for years to come.
“It’s a key milestone on my number one mission to get more money in people’s pockets as we deliver our Plan for Change.”
Not only that, but the minimum hourly wage for an apprentice is also set to be boosted later this year too, with an 18-year-old apprentice seeing their minimum hourly pay increase by 18% to £7.55 an hour.
As a result of these particular changes, a further four million workers also could benefit from the positive spill-over impacts of the rate increases.
Featured Image –
News
Body of woman found in River Mersey last year finally identified after ‘extensive’ investigation
Emily Sergeant
The body of woman who was found in the River Mersey last year has finally been identified.
Following what has been described as an ‘extensive investigation’ by Greater Manchester Police‘s (GMP) Major Incident Team to determine the identity of the body, which was sadly discovered in the river adjacent to Chorlton Water Park on 21 March 2024, the family of the victim has now been informed and supported by specialist officers.
The victim has been formally named as 38-year-old Laura Stanley, who was originally from Derbyshire but was living in Stockport.
After the body was discovered, and ‘exhaustive and determined’ investigation by GMP officers began to identify here, including detailed checks of both national and international databases.
The Major Incident Team (MIT) also closely worked in collaboration with specialist forensic service providers to create an anthropological profile, which eventually culminated in the creation of a facial reconstruction image.
Following several media appeals, a relative of Laura contacted officers and then a DNA match was confirmed through a familial link.
“Laura was a kind and gentle person with a great sense of fun and adventure,” Laura’s family said in a heartbreaking tribute to her.
“She was generous, thoughtful, caring and always keen to volunteer within the community. Laura was a proud and loving mum and she will be greatly missed by her girls and all of her friends and family who loved her dearly.”
The River Mersey, across from Chorlton Water Park, where Laura’s body was discovered / Credit: Wikimedia Commons
While Laura has now been identified, police say further investigations will take place to understand her last movements, the events that led to her death, and her discovery in the river.
Additionally, as is standard practice, GMP’s Professional Standards Directorate is also reviewing a previous missing report relating to Laura in the time before the discovery of her body, which will determine prior contact relating to Laura, and whether the appropriate measures were enacted.
#UPDATE | A woman who was discovered in the River Mersey last year has been identified following an extensive investigation by officers in GMP’s Major Incident Team.
Thank you to those of you who have shared our appeals over the last year.
Anyone who knew Laura and thinks they may be able to assist with the investigation is asked to contact police by calling 101, or by using the Live Chat Service at gmp.police.uk, quoting log number 1191 of 21 March 2024.
Alternatively, you can contact the Major Incident Team Syndicate 3 directly on 0161 856 9479, or the independent charity Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111.
Emily Sergeant -
21st October 2021 
