SADDLEWORTH did one of its own proud as one of its own does Saddleworth proud.
Sir Kevin Sinfield ran through his home area as his 7 in 7: The Grand Finale fundraising physical challenge nears its end.
Another £1.1 million has been added to the eight-figure total he has raised for, as well as awareness about, motor neurone disease (MND) charities in the name of friend and former Leeds Rhinos team-mate Rob Burrow.
It should have come as no surprise the people he calls neighbours turned out in force on Thursday, October 1, lining the familiar streets he ran along.
Saddleworth School, where he attended when it was in Uppermill, showed its support, as did the hundreds of primary schoolchildren whose cheers signalled his imminent arrival at Abaco, on Uppermill’s High Street.
Family members greeted Sir Kevin and his team as a seven-kilometre block, which the challenge’s legs are broken into, finished and started at the venue.
But the battle for a vantage point on the pavements outside, both sides of the road, showed the support for him and his team, which includes a number of people from Saddleworth.
“I didn’t quite know what to expect,” Sir Kevin – whose challenge finishes by delivering the match ball at Super League’s Grand Final at Old Trafford on Saturday, October 3 – said as he gave a speech from the middle of High Street.
“But the fact you’ve come out shows you want to fight.”
From Uppermill, it was on to Churchill Playing Fields for an Extra Mile event, before heading on to ultra-familiar territory, without looking at where he was passing, otherwise he may have pulled in!
As he ended his fifth stage of seven at Salford City FC’s stadium, where Saddleworth-based football icon Paul Scholes greeted him and spoke to him.
After being cheered in by dozens of school children, who all made banners, and volunteers, he tod them: “To have seen the amount of schools and children come out to support and understand what this is about has been wonderful.
“Wherever we’ve stopped, we’ve had the warmest of receptions, and it might have been a crowd like we have ere, or it might have been five people.
“But the big thing has been about the support and care that we provide for other people, looking out for other people, in particular, the MND community.
“That might sound a bit warm and fluffy from an ex-rugby player, I get that. But we’ve got to show the MND community and MND families more love. We’ve got to be there more for them, we’ve got to help them, we’ve got to support them.
“And the fact you’re all here shows that, you’re a big part of that.
“I can ask you to do one thing, and that’s when you go home, do one thing for someone else.
“It doesn’t matter what it is, just do one thing. If we all start doing that, our MND community will be cared for, supported, and we’ll be in a much better place.”
Once he had got his breath back, Sir Kevin told Saddleworth Independent: “We’re blown away.
“We’ve come through Saddleworth before. Two years ago, we saw a whole host of people there ready to do the Santa Dash.
“But to see what we got, Saddleworth should be proud for the support that it’s given and the love and care it’s passed out to the MND community.
“It’s not often you can deliver a speech standing in the middle of Uppermill High Street, –but it was really nice to see a lot of people I know.
“There’s so many people who see me running – I’ve never moved out of Oldham and Saddleworth, even when I was a player at Leeds.
“So the place means a lot to me and for them to come out and show their support was great.”
*YOU Can donate to 7 in 7: The Grand Finale at https://donate.giveasyoulive.com/fundraising/7-in-7-the-grand-finale.
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