A North East businessman’s charity night involving family and friends has raised over £4,500 for the Sir Bobby Robson Foundation. Chris Lines, a director of PR and marketing agency Press Ahead, arranged the event at Sedgefield Racecourse in memory of his mother Margaret Lines, who died of cancer two years ago.
Over 130 people turned up to the fundraiser, where they were entertained by leading North East band the Emerald Thieves. Hundreds more people bought tickets for a special raffle that was linked to the event, with a line up of sporting prizes donated by David Beckham, Andy Murray, Steve Cram, Sir Chris Bonington, Newcastle Racecourse, Durham County Cricket Club, Berghaus, Sunderland AFC, Pulman Volkswagen and many others.
All proceeds from ticket sales for the event and raffle have been donated to the Sir Bobby Robson Foundation. On Friday, Chris, accompanied by his 92-year-old grandmother Lillian Smith, his father Peter Lines and sister Kate English, presented a cheque to Lady Elsie Robson.
During the last two years, Chris and Kate have committed themselves to raising money for the charity. Following two Great North Runs, the recent event and raffle were the latest initiatives in an ongoing fundraising effort. Margaret Lines was cared for at the Northern Centre for Cancer Care in Freeman Hospital, which is also the home of the Sir Bobby Robson Cancer Trials Research Centre.
Lady Elsie says: "It was a great pleasure to meet Margaret’s family. They’re doing a wonderful job of raising money for the Sir Bobby Robson Foundation and I’m very grateful for their support. I have no doubt Margaret would be very proud of their efforts in helping other people fighting cancer."
Chris adds: “I was delighted with the outcome of my event and raffle and am really grateful for the support I received from family, friends and colleagues. In the greater scheme of things, £4,500 might not seem to be a huge amount, but it’s a bigger total than I expected and I know that it will be put to excellent use by the Sir Bobby Robson Foundation. The money that we raised will play its role in helping to improve the early detection and treatment of cancer – knowing that fact makes all of the hard work involved feel more than worthwhile.”
