Kevin Sinfield has been hailed as a “true hero” after completing a seven-day ultra marathon challenge and raising over £2 million for charity in the process.
The former professional rugby player – who captained Leeds Rhinos in the Super League for 18 years from 1997-2015, and now acts as the defence coach for Leicester Tigers – absolutely smashed it out the park by running seven ultra marathons in seven days in order to raise as much money as possible in aid of a host of motor neurone disease (MND) charities.
The challenge – which again is aid of his best pal and former teammate Rob Burrow, who was diagnosed with MND in late 2019 – saw Sinfield set off from Murrayfield in Edinburgh on Sunday 13 November, and run over 60km a day each day in order to reach his final destination in time.
He crossed the finish line at his final destination at Old Trafford during the Rugby League World Cup final on Saturday 19 November, and was greeted by a roaring standing ovation from a near full-capacity crowd inside the Manchester stadium.
Speaking to the crowd at Old Trafford as he crossed the finish line on Saturday, Kevin said: “It’s all about friendship and the love for Rob. Everyone probably feels the same way about Rob as I do, he is an absolute champion.”
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But despite this monumental achievement, the Oldham-born legend showed he’s still human.
In a hilarious moment that’s been going viral on social media over the weekend, TV cameras following Sinfield during his challenge saw him stopping at the side of the road for a quick wee, and it went out live on BBC Breakfast.
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Presenters Charlie Stayt and Rachel Burden were understandably caught off guard and proceeded to crack up with laughter.
“We have a camera on board a bike which is following,” Charlie told BBC Breakfast viewers, “We set him off every morning and we don’t really know how it works apart from…” and then, just as he said those words, Kevin took a toilet break right in front of the live cameras.
“Ah, brilliant timing, well done Charlie,” Rachel added as the pair laughed off the unfortunate moment.
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As mentioned, Sinfield took up the challenge in honour of his former Leeds Rhinos teammate and pal Rob Burrow, and the pair were seen sharing an emotional moment as Sinfield passed through Headingley in Leeds on the sixth day of his challenge.
Presenters Charlie Stayt and Rachel Burden were understandably caught off guard / Credit: BBC Breakfast
Sinfield’s aim with this challenge was to raise £777,777 for people living with MND, which would be split between Motor Neurone Disease Association, Leeds Hospitals Charity, The Darby Rimmer MND Foundation, My Name’5 Doddie Foundation and MND Scotland.
Three tiny ‘chaos potatoes’ have been born at Chester Zoo and they’re so cute
Emily Sergeant
Three tiny ‘chaos potatoes’ have been born at Chester Zoo… and they’re really flipping cute.
Born to parents Maris and Albert in late summer, the three rock hyrax pups – only affectionately known as ‘chaos potatoes’ – have just passed their first vet check with a clean bill of health, and now weigh roughly 350g.
Hyraxes are found across sub-Saharan Africa and the Middle East, where they live among rocky landscapes and are most active in daylight.
The litter includes two boys and one girl, and keepers at Chester Zoo have decided to give them potato-themed names – Russ, Spud, and Jackie.
Three tiny ‘chaos potatoes’ have been born at Chester Zoo / Credit: Chester Zoo
Currently, the three pups are a fraction of the size of the adults, which can weigh up to 4kg, but despite their small stature, they have an unlikely relative.
Believe it or not, rock hyraxes are actually a part of the same evolutionary group as elephants, as well as sirenians, which are the family of aquatic mammals that includes dugongs and manatees.
“Hyraxes are one of those species that you have to look for, but once you’ve seen them, they are fascinating to watch,” explained Megan Carpenter, who is a Keeper at Chester Zoo.
“The pups are little chaos potatoes. They are much more energetic than their parents and sometimes get the zoomies, darting about and testing their climbing and parkour skills.
“In contrast, the adults often wedge themselves into corners and grip on to steep rock faces for hours at a time. They’re incredibly well adapted to living among rocks and are much better climbers than you might expect.”
Featured Image – Chester Zoo
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A TV channel playing Christmas films 24/7 is now back on air in the UK
Emily Sergeant
Do you think it’s too early for the ‘C word’? Never mind, you’ve already clicked on this article.
Sure, we may only be into our second full week of September, but given the fact the weather these past couple of days hasn’t exactly screamed summer, it already feels like the festive season is around the corner – but whether or not you think it’s too early to be talking about Christmas, it’ll soon be too tricky to escape from.
Especially not when the famous TV channel showing festive film favourites non-stop is now back on air in the UK.
Yes, you heard that right – Christmas films, 24-hours a day, seven days a week.
If you’re ready to wave goodbye to summer, and in welcome autumn and winter with open arms, then there’s arguably no better way of getting into the festive spirit than with the long-awaited and highly-anticipated return of the TV channel that’s charmed audiences for over half a decade now.
GREAT! Christmas the UK’s biggest seasonal channel, and it’s now live on Sky, Freesat, Freeview and Virgin Media.
You can expect almost four months of back-to-back seasonal movies.
The 24-hour feel-good and free-to-air channel will be bursting with non-stop Christmas spirit, and will be showing a heartwarming lineup of festive films – including some absolute fan-favourite classics that make it to screens every year without fail, alongside some cheesy Hallmark classics, new channel premieres, and so much more.
Emily Sergeant -
21st November 2022 
