On Saturday 3rd August, Dean, Sam, Cam, Jonny and Tom will be completing the Yorkshire 3 Peaks...twice, making this the Yorkshire 6 Peaks Challenge.

They will be doing this in aid of the Rob Burrow appeal, who recently passed and whose story touched not only everyone in Yorkshire but the whole country.

All money raised will go towards the support of a new MND centre in Leeds, something Rob was incredibly passionate about.

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Rob Burrow was an inspiration. Despite facing his own challenges, he was devoted to raising awareness and funds to help people living with MND and their loved ones, until the end. Rob’s dream was to have a specialist centre for people living with MND and their families giving people living with MND the best possible care and support.

Why is a new centre needed?

Originally built in the early 20th century with care for infectious diseases in mind, the current home of the Centre is now showing its age. Significantly, the technology relating to the care needs of people with MND have moved on, whilst the building remains the same.

- The current MND centre is located on a busy multi-purpose ward not built with MND patients in mind.

- There is no private space for patients and families to be alone after receiving life-changing news.

- A long walk from the hospital car park can be challenging for patients and loved ones with mobility issues.

- The wheelchairs especially adapted for MND patients are too wide for the door frames of the centre.

- Facilities such as rest areas and toilets are unable to be equipped with the hoists and aids needed for patients with mobility impairments.

- Over the past ten years, both the number of people with MND referred to the centre and the size of the care team itself has doubled.

What will the new centre look like?

The aspiration for a new centre will be a hub of innovation, education and excellence for MND in the region, bringing together holistic patient-centred care and excellent nursing standards in a purpose-built environment. This bespoke unit will imitate the team’s care model, placing the patient and their family at the centre, with the capacity for delivering excellent care, support and MND education built around their needs.

The brand-new centre will see all MND services housed under one roof for the first time, in an accessible location conscious of the needs of those who visit. Supporting all aspects of the patient’s journey, the centre will create comfortable and peaceful surroundings for patients and their families, including space to reflect after difficult conversations.

The centre will also be built with a vision for the future, able to support patients with MND today whilst adapting to new innovations and treatments for the patients of tomorrow.

Thank you for reading :)

Dean, Sam, Cam, Jonny and Tom