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.
UK’s most popular commuter towns named and four are in Greater Manchester
Emily Sergeant
The UK’s most popular commuter towns have been named, and four of them are here in Greater Manchester.
Where are the most popular commuter towns in the UK right now?
Well, new data collated based on the number of people enquiring about available properties on Rightmove has revealed the locations where buyer demand is highest, and with Manchester being one of the largest cities in the country, of course there’s some Greater Manchester towns on the list.
Rightmove says that choosing the best commuter town requires buyers to balance a number of factors – including property prices, travel times, and local lifestyle
To narrow it down, the property platform has chosen to focus on commuter towns within a 45-minute rail journey to the target city, and with at least 20,000 people living there.
For Manchester, it’s Stockport that’s taken the title as the city’s most popular commuter town, as amazinly, it generated 70% more enquiries per listing than Manchester itself.
The UK’s most popular commuter towns have been named / Credit: James Feaver (via Unsplash) | Manchester City Council
Being just an eight-minute journey from Manchester Piccadilly, Stockport has an average property price of £308,299.
Elsewhere in Greater Manchester, the picturesque Stockport town of Marple takes second spot on the list, while the Tameside town of Stalybridge comes in third place, and Rochdale also features in the top five, alongside Warrington – which is just outside of our region’s borders, but is only a short 22-minute train journey into the city centre.
Transport options is obviously one of the most important factors in what makes a town a so-called ‘commuter town’.
Stockport benefits from around six fast trains per hour, while Stalybridge and Rochdale offer four per hour. Marple is less frequent at two per hour but still attracts strong interest, likely due to its lifestyle appeal and stunning setting on the edge of the Peak District.
Price growth has been strong across most of the Manchester commuter towns, with Stalybridge (+6.1%) and Rochdale (+5.8%) seeing notable increases year-on-year.
However, average prices for four out of the five commuter locations on the list were higher than the average Manchester property price (£261,891), suggesting that lifestyle factors were a stronger draw for Manchester’s surrounding towns.
Featured Image – Benjamin Elliott (via Unsplash)
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Noah Kahan begs fans to ‘just go to the bathroom’ ahead of Manchester shows
Daisy Jackson
Noah Kahan has had to issue a bizarre warning on concert etiquette ahead of his UK tour, after a fan apparently defecated on the floor at his show.
The Stick Season singer-songwriter, who will headline two massive gigs in Manchester this year, has begged his fans to ‘just go to the bathroom lmao’.
He’s had to speak out after videos circulated online that appeared to show human faeces beneath a chair and in the walkway at one of his US gigs.
According to witnesses at his Philadelphia show, one concert-goer relieved themselves onto the floor, then tried to kick the faeces under the seat in front.
Noah Kahan has now released a statement online that says: “If you have to poop at a show please dear god just go to the bathroom lmao.
“I’ve pooped my pants as much as the next 29 year old but you guys gotta understand there’s a venue worker out there with a 1000 yard stare after dealing with that.”
The star has since gone one step further, and addressed the poop incident on stage in Toronto.
He told fans inside the venue: “This is awkward. When you enter this building, you enter a social contract, right?
“And rule number two besides ‘don’t literally f**king kill each other’, is ‘don’t s**t on the floor’.
“So we’re gonna do some therapy type thing where we all repeat after me, okay?”
He then led the crowd to repeat the following chant: “I solemnly swear, I will not s**t my pants, and if I do, I won’t take it from my pants and put it on the floor.”
Emily Sergeant -
21st November 2022 
