Bury St Edmunds ‘flattered’ and ‘proud’ to kick off Kevin Sinfield’s latest MND fundraising challenge
Bury St Edmunds chairman Craig Germeney says the club is “flattered” to have been chosen as the starting point for Kevin Sinfield’s latest fundraising challenge in support of motor neurone disease (MND) research and treatment.
Having already raised more than £10 million across five previous challenges, Sinfield and his team are now preparing for their next endeavour – running seven ultra-marathons in seven days, each staged in a different city or region.
The theme is 7 in 7: Together, and the week-long challenge will begin at the home of the National Two East side on Monday 1st December.
Sinfield and his team will visit new locations that are often overlooked by major events, ensuring the MND community in each place knows they are not forgotten.
“For us to be considered for this, especially as the starting point for 7 in 7: Together, is absolutely amazing for the rugby club,” Germeney told National League Rugby.
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“Just being able to show we want to be involved and put Bury on the rugby map is important to us. It’s quite flattering that we’ve been chosen as part of this 7 in 7. It’s brilliant, and hopefully we can do Kevin proud and Bury St Edmunds proud too.”
Sinfield and his team will set off from the home of Bury St Edmunds – the Greene King IPA Haberden – at 08:40am (approx) before finishing Day 1 in Ipswich in honour of former Ipswich Town striker Marcus Stewart, who is living with MND.
Speaking at a press conference on Monday, Sinfield said: “Ipswich was important to us with Marcus Stewart and him becoming a good friend, but also we know there is a big rugby community in Bury St Edmunds.
“Whether it is league or union, it doesn’t matter. I love both codes and the fact that both codes have come together so powerfully over the last five years with Doddie Weir, Rob [Burrow], Ed Slater and now Lewis Moody has been wonderful.
“I know there is a fantastic rugby club in Bury St Edmunds, so it made sense so really looking forward to being down there.”
Each day of the challenge will be divided into 7km stages, all of which the England assistant coach must complete within an hour before setting off again at the start of the next hour.
The event will also feature an Extra Mile segment, allowing members of the MND community to run alongside Sinfield for a mile.
Over the course of the week, Sinfield will make his way from East Anglia – via locations including Cork, Swansea and Dundee – to the finish line in his beloved city of Leeds.
Along the route, he will pass through Sheffield, where National Two North side Sheffield Tigers will have the chance to greet him and his team.
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“This [challenge] is about doing things together, pulling communities together and trying to get people to understand how important the MND community is and how much love, care and respect we have to show them,” Sinfield added.
Six MND charities will once again benefit from the challenge.
The MND Association is the primary beneficiary, alongside donations to Leeds Hospitals Charity’s support for the Rob Burrow Centre, as well as the Irish MND Association, Darby Rimmer Foundation, My Name’5 Doddie Foundation, and MND Scotland.
And the hope is for a heart-warming turnout in Bury St Edmunds on Monday to kick off proceedings.
“We’ve reached out to anyone who is able to come down on Monday to get involved, but we know it can be challenging with work and other commitments,” Germeney said.
“We’re trying to get as many people from our mini and youth sections involved. It’s a balance with keeping children in school and other obligations, which is not something we can control for obvious reasons!
“But we’ve put it out there, been vocal, and made ourselves visible. Hopefully we will have as many of our Bury supporters down in our colours.
“Rugby is one big family. You can call it community, family, friendship groups but the reason I’m involved in the sport, and why so many others across the country are involved, is that sense of togetherness. It is so important to everyone, for so many different reasons.”
Monday will be an early start at Bury with BBC Radio Suffolk broadcasting live from 06:00am.
Gates and the clubhouse open at 06:30am, offering breakfast rolls, pastries, tea, and coffee. Music will start at 07:00am, followed by a ‘Mr Motivator-style’ warm-up led by David Calver of DC Fitness at 07:30am before Sinfield hits the road.
Current 1st XV players Will Affleck [Commercial Manager at Bury] and Ben Cooper [Rugby Development Officer] will also be down at the club to support the challenge.
“Wherever we have been, we have had wonderful send-offs…so it would be great to get a wonderful send off but probably more importantly for the MND community,” Sinfield added.
“Being there in the cold and wet on a December Monday morning isn’t great for anybody, but it makes a huge difference for us and how it looks on the BBC when the MND community will be sat at home.
“To see so many people come out and support will make a huge difference in homes right across the UK.
“If the whole of Bury St Edmunds are at the rugby club on Monday morning, I will be absolutely chuffed to bits! However, the reality is I am sure there will be kids going to school that morning and plenty of people at work!
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“The support we have had from the rugby club and from all of the locations that are involved on Monday has been fantastic. It has been as good as anywhere we have had. A heartfelt thank you. We are really excited to come down.”
But the efforts of Bury St Edmunds won’t stop after Monday.
MND will be the club’s charitable focus throughout December. Activities in the clubhouse will include donation buckets, bobble hat raffles, and more, all supporting the wider cause and Sinfield’s fundraising efforts.
Expect that to be visible at Bury’s final 1st XV match of the calendar year when they entertain table rivals Dorking on December 13th in what is becoming an extremely competitive National Two East.
The Wolfpack currently sit fourth, but with just eight points separating second down to seventh, the league remains tightly contested.
Over the summer, there was a changing of the guard in Suffolk with the experienced James Shanahan moving from National One side Blackheath to take the reins at Bury.
Whilst Germeney – who is into his fifth year as chairman – would like to see the club surpass their best-ever league finish in National Two East of fifth – which they achieved in 2022-23 – there is also the ambition to see Bury become a third-tier side.
“National Two East is extremely competitive. Anyone can beat anyone on their day. One week we’re second, the next we can drop to sixth,” Germeney said.
“That makes it exciting, though it does give you a few extra grey hairs on a Saturday afternoon!
“Shanners has already become a huge asset, not just with the senior men’s first team but across the whole club. He’s really underpinning our ‘one club’ ethos. We’re thrilled to have him on board for the next few years and hope to achieve great things together.
“We always aim to improve on past finishes. Under Jacob [Ford – former Bury boss] and during my tenure, we finished fifth, so realistically, that’s the benchmark we want to surpass. Equally, we are capable of knocking on the door of those top one and two spots.
“We are ambitious. If we find ourselves knocking on the door towards the end of the season, we’ll give it our best shot.
“Over the next few seasons under Shanners, promotion is very much on the radar, but for now, beating our previous fifth-place finish remains the immediate target.”
Donations towards Kevin Sinfield’s 7 in 7: Together, can be made at https://donate.giveasyoulive.com/fundraising/kevin-sinfield-7-in-7-together-challenge
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