Welcome to Yorkshire team up with rugby league legend, Rob Burrow, for tree planting charity campaign

Welcome to Yorkshire’s My Y personal membership was launched on Yorkshire Day, 1st August 2020, promoting Yorkshire across the globe and uniting those connected to the county by planting a tree for each and every member.

It’s a great honour for Welcome to Yorkshire to now be joining forces with the inspirational, former Leeds Rhinos rugby league player, Rob Burrow, with the option to choose a very special Welcome to Yorkshire Rob Burrow Membership and £5 from every one purchased will be donated to the MND Association and recorded in the MND Association Rob Burrow Fightback Fund.

Welcome to Yorkshire has already supported a number of charities through the initiative including their nominated charity of the year Yorkshire Cancer Research, plus Overgate Hospice in Halifax and Paces School in Sheffield, with the MND Association being the latest.

Pontefract born Rob was diagnosed with Motor Neurone Disease (MND) in 2019 and has since spoken publicly about his illness, raising awareness and inspiring his close friend and Leeds Rhinos Director of Rugby, Kevin Sinfield, to raise £2.7m in his '7 in 7 Challenge' (7 marathons in 7 days) in support of people impacted by MND.

Kevin Sinfield MBE said “Rob is a proud Yorkshireman and loved playing for his county during his glittering career. This is a wonderful way for people to support the MND Association and help families just like Rob’s.”

Over 2,000 trees have been planted in Yorkshire since Welcome to Yorkshire successfully launched its personal My Y membership scheme, with plans for thousands more to follow in the coming months at sites across the county.

High-profile celebrities with trees planted in their name include multi-award-winning actor Sir Patrick Stewart, Yorkshire shepherdess Amanda Owen, gardening guru Alan Titchmarsh and the late Captain Sir Tom Moore.

The global membership scheme with a range of options, includes offers, discounts, a much-coveted green Y badge and a donation to Welcome to Yorkshire’s dedicated charity, Yorkshire Cancer Research. It engages with Yorkshire folk across the globe and anyone with a connection with or love for the county, with at least one tree planted in Yorkshire soil for every membership. It can be a special personal treat, an ideal gift or a great way to pay tribute to a loved one.

The Rob Burrow Welcome to Yorkshire My Y personal membership is just £30. with £5. from each donated to Rob’s chosen MND charity www.yorkshire.com/become-a-member

Welcome to Yorkshire chief executive James Mason said: “Rob Burrow is an absolute Yorkshire legend and the team at Welcome to Yorkshire are honoured and proud to be joining forces with Rob to raise money for his chosen and incredibly important MND charity, through our My Y membership, which also helps the environment by planting a tree for every single member. We’ve had an overwhelming response to the membership launched on Yorkshire Day and the idea really seems to have caught the public’s imagination.”

Jenn Dodd regional fundraiser for Yorkshire, Humberside and the North East at the MND Association said: “We are so grateful to Welcome to Yorkshire and Rob Burrow for providing this exciting membership option where in addition to having a tree planted in your name you can also help support people affected by MND. We hope that the membership and trees will inspire future fundraising and awareness raising activities for people affected by MND, in these special areas of woodland, and that this will grow into a long-lasting legacy for Rob and the 5000 other people living with MND in the UK right now.”

The Broughton Hall Estate, The White Rose Forest and its partner Yorkshire Dales Millennium Trust with Shoe Gate Wood in Nidderdale, as well as William’s Den in North Cave, are all confirmed land allocations for the trees, with further Yorkshire sites to be announced.

Playing an important part in combatting climate change, trees remove carbon dioxide from the atmosphere and every six trees can help to absorb up to a tonne of carbon over a 50-year lifespan. It is estimated that every 1000 trees planted helps offset more than 160 tonnes of carbon over 50 years.

Find out more about becoming a Welcome to Yorkshire My Y member and about the NEW Welcome to Yorkshire Rob Burrow My Y membership at www.yorkshire.com/become-a-member