A TOP rugby player and coach who has also made his name as a charity fundraiser will be sharing his inspirational story at a special event in the North East this autumn.
Former Leeds player Kevin Sinfield, one of the most successful stars in Super League history, is launching The Extra Mile speaking tour.
And he will be stopping off at Gateshead’s The Fed on Thursday 25 September to share not only stories from across his career but also his and his team’s charitable work, which has led to millions of pounds being raised for MND charities.
The multi award-winning player, who won 26 caps for England and 14 for Great Britain, will be talking about his career and about his incredible fund-raising activity for ex-team mate Rob Burrow.
Kevin and Rob were friends from their early teenage years through 15 years of playing rugby together, forming a strong bond which lasted for decades.
When Rob was diagnosed with MND, Kevin decided to run seven marathons in seven days to raise £77,777 for his ex-teammate and the MND Association.
The final total for that particular initiative exceeded £2m with the current total to date raised by Kevin and his team standing at more than £12m, with the money aiding research into the cause of the devastating disease.
Kevin continued with his fund raising efforts and is determined to do all he could to help towards finding a cure for MND and it the challenges and victories, plus his friendships on and off the field which he will talk about at this unique evening.
“I can’t wait to bring the event to the North East,” he said.
“Every time we have visited for the challenges the people have come out in force to support us, and I am really grateful, hopefully we will see a lot of old friends there.”
Tickets for the evening at The Fed are priced at £30 for silver tickets and £50 for VIP tickets which include a signed copy of Kevin’s book, The Extra Mile and a printed photograph with the player.
They are available at www.kevinsinfield.com