Hermes UK makes whopping £20,000 donation to charity appeal after CEO spots story about Rob Burrow in YEP

Rob was diagnosed with MND in 2019, and since then his family have worked tirelessly to help raise awareness and funds for several charities, including Leeds Hospitals Charity’s appeal to build a specialist MND centre in the city.

Hermes UK has generously donated £20,000 towards the Rob Burrow Centre for Motor Neurone Disease (MND) appeal.

Martijn De Lange, CEO of Hermes UK felt compelled to support the appeal after reading a story about its launch in the YEP.

The delivery company’s head office is based in Morley, Leeds.

Many of its employees are supporters of rugby team the Leeds Rhinos, where Rob Burrow played for 16 years, and have a close connection to hospitals across the city.

Hermes have generously donated £20,000 towards the appeal, which hopes to raise £5 million to build a specialist centre for people living with MND and their families across our region.

Thanks to support from the people of Leeds, Yorkshire and across the globe, the appeal has now raised over £1.7 million.

The charity hopes that this purpose-built centre will transform the hospital experience for people with MND, their loved ones, and our NHS heroes caring for them.

Martijn De Lange, CEO of Hermes UK said: “We’re proud of our Yorkshire roots and delighted to make this donation to support this fantastic charity so close to home.

"We recognise the challenges the pandemic has created for charities fundraising and we hope the donation makes a positive difference to the lives of people living with MND.”

The charity’s appeal launched in September 2021 and recognises the need for a dedicated centre in Leeds, providing a better patient environment.

A bespoke centre will see all MND services housed under one roof for the first time.

Here, patients will have access to a range of holistic support tailored to their needs, from speech and language therapy, to diet and nutrition advice, and physiotherapy.

The vision is for a space that is bright and modern, that has windows and gardens, with spaces for families to be together, or quiet rooms to reflect in after difficult conversations.

Paul Watkins, Director of Fundraising at Leeds Hospitals Charity said: “We would like to say a heartfelt thank you to Hermes for their generous contribution to our MND centre appeal.

"We are so grateful for their support, which helps us get one step closer to bringing this wonderful project to life. It’s thanks to donations from businesses like Hermes that we can make a huge difference to many affected by this cruel disease across Yorkshire.”

Rob and his wife Lindsey recently became patrons of the charity, as reported in the YEP.

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