Pontefract children and staff step out for charity and former Leeds Rhinos RL star Rob Burrow

Youngsters and staff from Orchard Head Junior, Infant and Nursery School put their best foot forward to raise money and awareness for the association and in support of the former Leeds Rhinos rugby league player, who is a parent at the school and who was diagnosed with the condition in 2019.

The school community has treked the equivalent of 15 miles over the last three weeks (a mile a day) and held an event to celebrate the completion of the final 16th mile.

They chose to walk 16 miles as this is the distance between Orchard Head School and Headingley Stadium, Leeds, where Rob spent most of his professional rugby career.

Rob, who is from Pontefract, played for Leeds Rhinos from 2001 to 2017, as well as several appearances in international rugby competitions for England.

Representatives of the school said it felt only fitting that the school gave something back to the MND community and pupils were joined for the final mile by special guests Ronnie the Rhino, mascot for Leeds Rhinos; former Leeds star Kevin Sinfield, a close friend of the Burrow family, and Rob himself.

Macy Burrow, Rob’s 10-year-old daughter who attends the school alongside her siblings Maya, aged seven, and Jackson, aged three, said: “We’ve walked 16 miles in 16 days, we walked a mile a day around our school field.

When asked if the challenge was hard, she responded: “It was harder on rainy days, but we still did it.”

Macy went on to talk about Kevin Sinfield’s upcoming challenge, the ultra 7 in 7, starting on Sunday November 13, where he will run 60km per day for seven days from Murrayfield Stadium in Edinburgh to Old Trafford in Manchester.

She added: “I’m speechless; to do seven ultras in seven days is amazing. I can’t even walk a marathon in seven days”.

Joe Mitchell, Headteacher at Orchard Head Junior, Infant & Nursery School, said: “We are absolutely thrilled that we’ve been able to host such a brilliant challenge for all of our school community to get involved with, to raise money for the Motor Neurone Disease Association.

"The charity is very close to our hearts at Orchard Head, and it only felt right that we made the challenge associated with Rob’s time at Leeds Rhinos.

"We know times are extremely hard right now, but it’s amazing to see how people are coming together to fundraise and support. The pupils at Orchard Head Junior, Infant and Nursery School have walked the miles come rain or shine, they are delighted to be finishing the challenge today. The atmosphere at the event has been brilliant. It’s the least we can do for such a fabulous family.”

The total amount raised by the school is still climbing and is already at over £3k, but any and all further donations are appreciated. If you’d like to donate, please follow this link: https://www.justgiving.com/fundraising/orchard-head-walk-for-rob