Rob Burrow's widow accepts award for hero husband's fundraising work

Rob Burrow died in June at the age of 41, four-and-a-half years after being diagnosed with motor neurone disease (MND).

Rob Burrow's widow described him as "a beacon of hope and inspiration" as she accepted an award on his behalf to recognise his fundraising work.

The rugby league legend died in June at the age of 41, four-and-a-half years after being diagnosed with motor neurone disease (MND).

His extraordinary life and charity work was recognised at the GoCardless JustGiving Awards with the special recognition award, accepted on his behalf by his widow Lindsey.

She said: "It is a huge honour to receive the JustGiving special recognition award on behalf of my late husband. Rob was a beacon of hope and inspiration to so many people who saw or heard his story.

"He was the face of the MND community in the most difficult of circumstances, yet he never let the disease define him. Alongside his good friend Kevin Sinfield, over £15 million has been raised for a number of MND charities, since Rob's diagnosis in 2019.

"We have heard so many inspiring stories of people who have done wonderful things to help others. As a family, we have taken great comfort from people's fundraising efforts, which has meant that work is well under way on the Rob Burrow Centre for MND."

Her husband told how his children had inspired him "never to submit" to the disease in one of his last interviews. In a special edition of his BBC podcast, he expressed his hope that Macy, 12, Maya, nine, and five-year-old Jackson knew how much they meant to him.

Lindsey, 41, told how they hoped her husband's lasting legacy would be to help other families. "Rob taught us all that in a world full of adversity, we must dare to dream," she added at Wednesday night's ceremony.

The special recognition award is given to an individual who has "gone above and beyond for a cause they care deeply about".

With the support of Lindsey and former teammate and friend Sinfield, Rob raised more than £15m for the MND Association and the Leeds Hospitals Charity.

He won a Special Recognition award at the Mirror's 2023 Pride of Britain event, alongside his wife and Kevin.

Just one day after his death was announced, work began on the Rob Burrow Centre for MND with the former Leeds Rhinos star raising more than £6m to fund the state-of-the-art facility.

Pascale Harvie, president and general manager of JustGiving, said: "Rob Burrow CBE was an extraordinary human being.

"Despite being diagnosed with MND, Rob dedicated the very last few years of life to raising millions of pounds to fund vital research and to help others battling this cruel disease.

"It was an honour to recognise Rob's incredible work and we, like the rest of the world, will always continue to celebrate his legacy."