Sir Rod Stewart has pledged £5,000 to a severely disabled teenager after reading about his family's benefits battle in the Daily Record. The 81-year-old rocker was moved by the plight of Connor Donnelly, 18, from Mauchline, Ayrshire, who is wheelchair-bound, blind and nonverbal.
Family's three-month ordeal
Connor's parents, Steve and Helen, were told there were “work-related requirements” for his Universal Credit (UC) claim after he turned 18 earlier this year. When they submitted a fresh claim for his £338 monthly benefit in June, they endured a string of “upsetting” phone calls discussing his ability to get a job and were forced to file sick lines.
At one point, they received an email telling them to spend time “looking and preparing for work” and were summoned to another “work-focused interview” by phone this month, with a warning of a sanction if it was missed. The three-month ordeal has now come to an end.
Star's generous pledge
Sir Rod, who announced his last ever tour this week, said: “When I read the story of this young man in the Daily Record I immediately wanted to help. I hope this helps make things a little easier for them.”
Connor, who has a big brother and three younger sisters, has complex needs after being starved of oxygen at birth. He received UC until earlier this year because he was in full-time education, but since leaving school in May his parents had been facing an ongoing struggle with their local job centre.
Dad Steve, 46, said the requirements the family have had to fulfil on top of caring for his needs since he became an adult had hit them “like a freight train”. Unable to get Connor to the job centre, which is inaccessible for his wheelchair, the family endured a string of calls over his UC claim that left them hurt and embarrassed.
DWP confirms assessment
Benefits chiefs confirmed earlier this month that Connor had been fully assessed and the family are formally not required to look for work, attend further interviews or provide fit notes. The DWP said the email was “standard” procedure and Connor was not required to work, but mum Helen said the “upsetting” process must change for families like hers.
Steve, a big Rod fan, said he was lost for words after being told of the star's support. He said: “Things like this never ever happen to us. We are both speechless. His unbelievable generosity and kindness have touched our whole family. Never in a million years would you think someone of Sir Rod's worldwide stature would help a small family from Mauchline but just shows the type of guy he is - world class. What started as a desperate reach out for help when I first contacted the Daily Record both myself and Helen cannot believe the outcome we have reached - all thanks to you and your team. We cannot thank you enough.”
History of generosity
The pledge is one of a long line of heart-warming gestures made by the star in recent years, previously helping a string of families he reads about in the Record - his favourite paper. Last July, Rod donated £4,000 to a fundraiser in memory of fellow Celtic supporter Aiden McLuckie, 14, who tragically died after being hit by a car on the A76.
Just two months earlier he had stepped in to help four-year-old Iain Gregori who was caught in a “blackhole” waiting for an autism diagnosis. In July 2023, Rod helped a little girl's dream come true after learning that she watches her mum go without food to feed her family. The dad said his 'heart broke' after reading the plight of Sophia McKenzie in the Record and offered to donate £2,500 to help her mum. In June that year, Rod also donated a whopping £10,000 to NHS Grampian in Aberdeenshire to help patients fighting cancer, with the funds used towards additional diagnostic scans for patients.
Rod took to Instagram this week to announce his last tour with a series of UK dates for 2027, thanking fans for “everything” over his six-decade career. Just weeks after undergoing heart surgery, Rod said it was with great “sadness” that the upcoming tour will be his final one on stage.
