INTERVIEW: Kevin Sinfield on friendship, purpose and hope as he returns to Dundee in April
- Andrew Batchelor
- 55 minutes ago
- 3 min read
There are sporting figures who achieve greatness in their field - and then there are those who redefine what leadership, loyalty and resilience mean far beyond it. Kevin Sinfield is one of those people.
Through his extraordinary endurance challenges in memory of his friend and former teammate Rob Burrow and others who have lived with motor neuron disease (MND), Kevin has inspired millions across the UK and Ireland while raising significant funds and awareness for MND.
Ahead of his upcoming event in Dundee which takes place on 23 April at the Caird Hall, Dundee Culture caught up with him for a quick chat where we talked friendship, purpose and the simple message he hopes people will take home from the night.
Andrew Batchelor (AB): Hello Kevin! What an honour to talk to you! We’re really excited to welcome you to Dundee.
Your Extra Mile journey has inspired people across the UK with your campaigning with and now for your friend and teammate Rob Burrow.
So I wanted to kick things off by asking what drove you to take on these challenges, and what keeps you going when things get tough?
Kevin Sinfield (KS): It all started with friendship. When Rob was diagnosed with MND, we felt we needed to stand shoulder to shoulder with him and show him we were going to be there every step of the way.
Part of that meant raising funds and awareness for the disease, and that’s really how the challenges began.
We’re now six challenges in. Sadly, Rob is no longer with us, but we continue to raise money and awareness in his name.
We want to continue his legacy because we desperately need to find a cure for this disease. It’s terrible and tragic what it does to families.
At the same time, we’ve seen the very best of people across the UK and Ireland. The support has been incredible. The MND community is such a wonderful, beautiful community, and we want to show them how much people care.
AB: You’ve spoken openly about friendship, resilience and showing up for others. What do you hope audiences will take away from the talk in Dundee, especially those who might be facing their own challenges right now?
KS: More often than not, our heroes are the people we live and rub shoulders with day to day. You probably don’t always view them as the heroes of your life, but as we saw with Rob and with the Burrow family, they absolutely are.
When we come to Dundee, we take people on a bit of a journey.
Clearly it’s a sad story, but within that there’s some fun. We try and have a night that’s full of different emotions, but help people to feel inspired and understand they’re not on their own.
And when I say inspired, I mean inspired just to do a little bit to help somebody who needs you. We can all do that.
AB: What would you say to anyone in Dundee who’s thinking about getting involved - whether that’s attending the event or supporting the work behind it? And what is the one message you would like people here to remember after hearing your story?
KS: Probably really simple. The big message has always been we can all do a little bit.
We’re the only species on the planet that can truly connect. Why do we waste that? Why not show people we love and care about how much they mean to us? We can all do a little bit to help the MND community as well.
I’m very, very grateful to the people of Dundee. Back in December we had the best welcome. I love being in Scotland and the people are fantastic.
So a big thank you - but also just a bit of a thought for others, because people need our help, support and care. Life’s a whole lot better when we share it with those people.
Kevin Sinfield’s visit to Dundee promises to be an evening that moves from heartbreak to hope, from loss to legacy.
It is not simply a talk about endurance challenges - it is a reminder of the power of friendship and the strength found in standing shoulder to shoulder.
For anyone in Dundee looking for an evening that will leave them reflective, inspired and ready to make a difference - even in a small way - this is one not to miss.
Tickets are available now over at the Dundee Box Office.
