2 years ago the world stopped turning and so did The Yorkshire Choice Awards. The odds were stacked against celebrating true inspirational heroes but on 6th May Yorkshire stood proud and welcomed over 700 guests at for an Oscar style, glitz and glamour style ceremony event at the Centenary Pavilion at Elland Road.
Jo Maltby said, “We are so lucky in Yorkshire to have so many incredible businesses and individuals who strive to make our county the very best it can be, but in true humble fashion, they stay in the shadows, continuing to put others first. None more so than our guest of honour Rob Burrow MBE who quite rightly received a standing ovation at key points in the night”.
Former Leeds Rhinos scrum-half Rob Burrow was diagnosed with motor neurone disease in December 2019, just two years after ending his playing career by captaining Leeds to a record-extending eighth Super League Grand Final.
Rob is one of an estimated 5,000 adults in the UK currently living with motor neurone disease. Every day, an average of six people are diagnosed with MND. The MND Association focuses on improving access to care, funding research, and campaigning for those people living with, or affected by, MND.
Nicola Stamford, Founding Director of The Big Bamboo Agency, one of the event sponsors, said: “The evening was a fantastic celebration, bringing together the great and good of Yorkshire to raise money for an incredible cause.
“It was a pleasure to sponsor the Rob Burrow Award and an honour to present the award on stage with him and his wife. Mel and Jo put on a fantastic evening, and we will be back in support of it once again next year.”
The evening saw the Burrow children Macy, Maya and Jackson picking up the Young Achiever of the Year Award and it was a heartfelt moment for both Rob and Lindsey as the girls took to the stage to receive their Award.
Melanie Malcolm followed by saying, “It's been a long time coming with many hoops to jump through due to lockdown restrictions, but we were finally able to celebrate the best in Yorkshire and we hope we did everyone proud. It was an emotional night for many reasons, but awash with inspiration and the most amazing Yorkshire folk who deserve to be out of the shadows and in the limelight.”
The final award of the night showcased an extraordinary ‘Special Recognition Award’ and this year the Awards invited Leeds Rhino stars Danny Mcguire and Jamie Jones Buchanan to present the special award to the most courageous in the room, Rob Burrow MBE.
Rob’s wife Lindsey said “Wow where do I start? Such an incredible night. We had a brilliant time. The kids were on cloud nine after receiving their award (I have to say all the young achievers in their category were all deserved winners). And then Rob receiving his Special Recognition Award was the icing on the cake”.
Jo and Mel added: “The Yorkshire Choice Awards celebrates achievement in Yorkshire, and we are proud to have recognised the most inspirational individuals and businesses that our county has to offer. Being a ‘people’s choice awards’ shows that Yorkshire really does thrive on our community heroes, individuals like Rob.”
To see all the winners and finalists visit www.yorkshirechoiceawards.co.uk/2022winners