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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Full list of road closures set to be in place for Manchester Day 2024
Emily Sergeant
Manchester Day is back for 2024 this weekend, and the full list of road closures set to be in place has been confirmed.
Now that schools are officially out across Greater Manchester, and the summer holidays are well and truly here, the hugely-popular Manchester Day is making a return once again this Saturday 27 July, and as always, it’s set to be “the day summer officially starts” in the city centre – with a massive celebration of “all things Mancunian” on the cards.
The theme of this year’s annual event is ‘Let The Games Begin’, and it’s inspired by the international summer of sport, just 2024 Olympics kicks off over in Paris.
The day will be packed full of free events and activities to get involved with.
Some city centre roads will be closed on Friday 26 and Saturday 27 July for Manchester Day.
These will include:
🛣️Deansgate 🛣️St Ann Street 🛣️St Mary’s Gate 🛣️Market Street 🛣️King Street
— Manchester City Council (@ManCityCouncil) July 21, 2024
But of course, in order for the all the fun to go ahead as safely as possible, and as tends to be the case for events like these, Manchester City Council says it will need to make some temporary road closures to facilitate it.
The full list of road closures has now been confirmed by the Council, and there’s some major city centre thoroughfares set to be out of action.
Here’s everything you need to know.
Manchester Day is back for 2024 to celebrate the international summer of sport / Credit: Manchester City Council
Manchester Day 2024 – Road Closures
Saturday 27 July
From 6am to 11:59pm, Manchester City Council has confirmed that the following roads will be closed:
Deansgate (Manchester Cathedral to John Dalton Street) – access will be maintained to Marks and Spencer’s car park and Number One Deansgate.
St Ann Street (Deansgate to Cross Street)
St Mary’s Gate (Exchange Street to Deansgate)
St Mary’s Street (Southbridge Street to Deansgate)
Market Street (Exchange Street to Cross Street)
Fennel Street (Corporation Street to Cathedral Street) – access will be maintained for morning deliveries only.
Cathedral Street (Fennel Street to Exchange Square) – access will be maintained for morning deliveries only.
Cateaton Street (Exchange Square to Deansgate)
Barton Square (St Ann’s Square to St Ann Street)
King Street (Cross Street to Deansgate) – no access for deliveries.
All accessible bays, bus lanes, and taxi ranks within the closed areas will also be suspended during from 6pm on Friday 26 July to 11:59pm on Saturday 27 July.
The parking suspensions set to be in place are:
Deansgate (Manchester Cathedral to John Dalton Street)
St Ann Street – including the bays outside St Ann’s Church (Deansgate to Cross Street)
St Mary’s Gate (Exchange Street to Deansgate)
St Mary’s Street (Southbridge Street to Deansgate)
Southgate (St Mary’s Street to King Street West)
Market Street (Exchange Street to Cross Street)
Fennel Street (Corporation Street to Cathedral Street) – access will be maintained for morning deliveries only.
Cathedral Street (Fennel Street to Exchange Square) – access will be maintained for morning deliveries only.
Cateaton Street (Exchange Square to Deansgate)
Victoria Street (Cathedral Approach to Deansgate)
Todd Street (Corporation Street to Station Approach)
King Street (Spring Gardens to Southgate)
South King Street (Ridgefield to Deansgate)
Barton Square (St Ann’s Square to St Ann Street)
King Street West (Deansgate to St Mary’s Parsonage)
St James’s Square (John Dalton Street to South King Street)
Cross Street (King Street to Corporation Street)
Museum Street (Peter Street to Windmill Street)
Marsden Street (Cheapside to Brown Street)
Manchester Day 2024: Let The Games Begin! will take over the city centre on Saturday 27 July from 12pm-6pm.
Check out everything you need to know ahead of the event here.
‘Complex’ Metrolink repairs to the Rochdale via Oldham line could take weeks to complete
Emily Sergeant
Work currently underway on the Rochdale via Oldham line is expected to take several weeks to complete.
Transport for Greater Manchester (TfGM) has confirmed that land movement affecting the Metrolink network near Derker has now “slowed”, and this means that detailed ground investigations and temporary repair works have been able to get underway.
In order for trams to run again on the crucial line from the city centre to the two major Greater Manchester towns, TfGM says that a small section of track has to be moved back – also known as ‘slewed’ – into its original position.
The overhead line poles also need to be repaired too, the transport operator revealed.
Rochdale line update
Land movement affecting the Metrolink network near Derker has slowed, enabling detailed ground investigations and temporary repair works to get underway.
To get trams running again, a small section of track has to be moved back into its original position… pic.twitter.com/byERjitdi1
Unfortunately though, due to the “complex” nature of these works, and despite the fact that TfGM says it’s actively looking to “accelerate” the repairs, the project is expected to take up to five weeks to complete in full.
On top of this, the detailed ground investigations will also establish whether any further work to strengthen foundations beneath the track will be needed at a later date.
TfGM has apologised for the inconvenience caused to passengers.
‘Complex’ Metrolink repairs to the Rochdale via Oldham line could take weeks to complete / Credit: TfGM
Speaking on the scale of works currently underway, and how long he expects them to continue for, Pete Sommers, who is TfGM’s Network Director for Metrolink, said: “I’m sorry for the impact this is having, and will continue to have, on people’s journeys.
“We are working to get trams running through the area again, but this remains a complex and challenging issue and it could still be a few weeks before this happens.
“We will of course keep passengers updated, and I’d encourage people to check our social media channels and website for the latest information and advice.”