Kevin Sinfield 7x7x7: Leeds Building Society donating £20,000 to amazing ultra-marathon effort

To mark the incredible friendship of Kevin Sinfield and Rob Burrow, and as long-standing friends of Leeds Rhinos, we’re happy to be able to donate £20,000 to Kev’s latest 7x7x7 fundraiser which will see him take on seven ultra marathons over seven days in seven different cities next month.

As sponsors of Leeds Rhinos since 2007, Rob’s fight against motor neurone disease is a cause close to our hearts. We are pleased to be able to support Kev again and wish him luck ahead of this gruelling challenge.

Our long-standing sponsorship of the club is something we are extremely proud of and last month we announced our commitment to sponsor Leeds Rhinos for at least another three years, which will make ours one of the most enduring sponsorships in the sporting world.

Our decision to extend the sponsorship came easily. Not only because of the silverware that’s already been won during our long time supporting the club, but because of our shared commitment to communities in the city and wider region.

Since 2007 we have stood beside the Rhinos to witness the great impact they have on the community, and all the ways they are able to give back – whether that be through the Leeds Rhinos Foundation, or the Academy which helps nurture the next generation of talent.

Since Leeds Building Society was founded almost 150 years ago, community has been at the heart of everything we do too. As a mutual, the Society was created to help achieve social change and support the needs of aspiring homeowners by using savings deposits to fund others getting onto the property ladder.

The mutual mentality of helping others is what led us to sponsor the Rhinos, who play an important role in the community and were formed just a few years before Leeds Building Society, when a group of people came together in Leeds to cultivate the sport of rugby league in 1870.

Now a century and a half later, both organisations have made a huge impact in the region and beyond, working to help others and create a sense of belonging.

Leeds Building Society has always been led by a purpose. A resolve to put homeownership within reach of more people. We know the importance having a place to call home has in establishing a community.

In the UK, we pride ourselves on people’s ability to own a home, create roots in their communities, and prosper as a result.

But sadly, housing is less affordable than ever, bringing focus to the role we can play as a business.

Last month, we released a report on first-time buyer affordability, showing that house prices in 2022 were 16x higher than in 1982, and average deposit requirements rose from 25.5% of average first-time buyer earnings 40 years ago (£2,100) to 115% (£68,700).

Earlier this year we sat down with members of the Rhinos teams past and present, across both rugby league and netball, to discuss their homeownership journeys. The insights shared helped highlight the difficulties faced by first-time buyers today and how important it is to have a place to call home.

It’s difficult to feel part of a community without somewhere to put down roots – which is something we’re passionate about helping to rectify.

We want to use our voice to stand by first-time buyers, and we will continue to lobby for a long-term plan before things get even worse. We are calling for government support in bringing down the barriers to homeownership by building more homes of all types, increasing affordable routes to home ownership and supporting people to save for their deposit.

We need to take action now to protect homeownership for future generations. We are here to serve our members - and we always will be – to enable people to get onto and up the housing ladder, and to feel part of their community.

As we head towards our 18th year of sponsorship of the Rhinos, we are delighted to continue to support the great work the club does on and off the field and are proud to pledge our support to Kev’s ultramarathon challenge next month.

Richard Fearon is CEO of Leeds Building Society