JOE MCELDERRY SURPRISES GENEROUS LOCAL FOOTBALL CLUB

Sir Bobby Robson would have celebrated his 80th birthday in February and to mark the occasion there will be a star-studded gala event at The Sage Gateshead in aid of the Sir Bobby Robson Foundation and The Alan Shearer Foundation.

Sir Bobby Robson – A Celebration on 18th February will bring together Sir Bobby’s family and friends with top musicians, comedians and football ‘royalty’.

The event sold out within hours of tickets going on sale and after hearing about it one local football club decided to do their own bit to remember Sir Bobby and help the Sir Bobby Robson Foundation.

Winlaton Juniors Football Club had planned to do a collection at St James’ Park before the Newcastle United v Chelsea game on Saturday (2 February) to raise funds for their club.

This will be the closest home league game to Sir Bobby’s birthday, so they contacted the Foundation and offered to split the proceeds with the cancer charity.

Young members of the club were at St James’ Park this week to plan the details of their collection and were thrilled to receive a surprise visit from The X Factor and Popstar To Operastar winner Joe McElderry.

Joe, from South Shields, is one of the headline acts performing at Sir Bobby Robson – A Celebration and was supposed to be in the recording studio this week.  However, his travel plans were disrupted by the winter weather and, with an unexpected break in his schedule, he took the opportunity to meet and thank Winlaton Juniors for their support.

Joe, an Ambassador for the Teenage Cancer Trust, says: “I was very touched to hear about Winlaton Juniors’ offer to raise money for the Sir Bobby Robson Foundation with this collection.  With everyone doing a bit we can really help make a difference against this terrible disease.

“Plans for the Sir Bobby birthday celebration night at The Sage Gateshead are coming along well and I know there are more performers and high-profile guests confirmed and ready to announce. 

“It will be a very special evening raising money for two wonderful charities and I’m really looking forward to it.”

As well as posing for photographs with Winlaton Juniors, Joe visited Sir Bobby’s memorial garden at Gallowgate and signed autographs for young fans in the Newcastle United club shop.

Craig Newby, chairman of Winlaton Juniors, says: “We were so pleased to hear Joe was coming along to support us.  We didn’t mention it to the kids in advance so they got a fantastic surprise on the day.

“Like most community football teams we rely on fund-raising and contributions from parents to keep us going and our collection at St James’ Park had been planned for months.  When we realised it was so close to Sir Bobby’s birthday we all agreed we wanted to do something to help his charity too.

“We were just at St James’ Park this week to plan what needs doing on Saturday and a lady stopped me to give £5 for the collection.  I said we weren’t doing it yet but she said she wouldn’t be around on Saturday and wanted to help.  That says so much to me about how people feel about Sir Bobby and the work of his charity.”

Sir Bobby Robson – A Celebration on 18th February is based on Sir Bobby's favourite music and will feature some of his Desert Island Discs choices performed by some of the country’s finest artists at The Sage Gateshead.

It will also feature some of Sir Bobby’s final interviews, which were originally filmed for use at this event when it was first planned, with his involvement, in 2009.

SIR BOBBY ROBSON FOUNDATION NAMED AS DURHAM CCC’S STEPHEN HARMISON’S BENEFIT CHARITY FOR 2013

The Sir Bobby Robson Foundation has been named as Durham County Cricket Club’s Stephen Harmison’s Benefit charity for 2013.

The Stephen Harmison Benefit Committee made the announcement last night (24th January 2013) at an upbeat launch event in Newcastle attended by Stephen’s family and friends, his Durham CCC team mates and coach Geoff Cook and Sir Bobby Robson’s three sons Paul, Andrew and Mark.

Former international cricketers Michael Vaughan, Phil Tufnel and Andrew Flintoff and Newcastle United’s John Carver and Steve Harper also came out to show their support.

Former world number one bowler, Harmison, who has two Ashes wins and two County Championship titles to his name, was named as 2013 beneficiary by his county, Durham toward the end of last year.

Events will be held over the coming twelve months to raise funds, with a percentage of the overall total donated to the Sir Bobby Robson Foundation.

Martin Filson, Chairman of the Harmy611 Benefit Committee, said: “We thought very carefully about which charity to support but it became obvious very quickly where we would focus our donation.

“Sir Bobby Robson had a real impact on Stephen as a youngster and the generosity he showed helped propel Stephen to the peak of his international career.  Stephen was very keen that we used the benefit year as an opportunity to reciprocate the kindness of Sir Bobby by supporting the charity he was so passionate about.

“We have a fantastic calendar of events planned this year which will give us a great opportunity to help raise awareness of the charity as well as raising some funds to help contribute to the great work that they do.”

Describing Stephen’s decision to raise funds for the Foundation in his testimonial year, Lady Elsie Robson said: “It’s always special for me, and I know it was for Bob, when one of my husband’s former players comes to the Sir Bobby Robson Foundation with an idea to help raise funds.  Although Stephen was never actually a Newcastle United player I think Bob would think of him in that light given how much time he spent at the club.

“I’m grateful that Stephen has chosen to support our work in his benefit year.  Sadly, too many people experience the pain caused by cancer and we are doing all we can to help the experts find better ways to detect and treat the disease.”

The Sir Bobby Robson Foundation funds projects within the Newcastle upon Tyne Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust that directly benefit cancer patients from across the north east and Cumbria, and which contribute significantly to research into the disease.

Last year, Lady Elsie officially opened the Sir Bobby Robson Foundation PET Tracer Production Unit, which was jointly funded by the charity and Newcastle University.  The charity also announced it was contributing £850,000 towards life-saving new cyber surgery equipment at the Northern Centre for Cancer Care at the Freeman Hospital in Newcastle.

Both of these major advances in treatment and tumour detection for cancer patients will work in tandem with the clinical trials of new drugs within the Sir Bobby Robson Cancer Trials Research Centre.

Stephen’s friend and former England team mate, Andrew Flintoff, said: “He really deserves this year.  Benefits are awarded to players who show loyalty and Steve’s probably the most loyal person I’ve ever met.

“He’s shown great commitment to Durham Cricket Club and this benefit year is their way of saying thank you.  It’s a big year for Stephen and he should be proud he’s got one.

“He has the County running through his veins and he loves it and I think you’ll find that throughout the year there’ll be far bigger and more important people than me turning out to support him.

“There’s a lot of goodwill out there towards Stephen because of what he showed to other people.  I think this year’s a way for other people to give back.”

For more information on Stephen Harmison’s Benefit Year visit www.harmy611benefit.co.uk or follow @harmy611benefit on Twitter.

ROBBIE ELLIOTT RECEIVES NORTH EAST FOOTBALL WRITERS’ RECOGNITION

While this season’s football story is still being written, on 24th February the region’s clubs will be putting differences to one side and coming together to celebrate the top performances of the previous year.

Sponsored by Barclays, the North East Football Writers' Association Awards Dinner at Ramside Hall Hotel in Durham is an annual highlight in the local football calendar. 

It is an opportunity to showcase the best in north east football and will be attended by a star-studded guest list including players, managers, directors and officials from all of the region’s clubs.

Once again, the dinner will raise money for the Sir Bobby Robson Foundation and over the last three years the event has raised more than £12,000 for the north east cancer charity. 

Sir Bobby was a regular guest at the dinner and last year a new award was introduced to recognise those individuals closely connected to north east football that, like the former Newcastle united manager, had also made a significant contribution to the wider community.

This year the recipient of the North East Football Writers' Association’s Personality of the Year, in association with the Sir Bobby Robson Foundation, will be former Newcastle United, Sunderland AFC and Hartlepool defender Robbie Elliott.

Robbie received a landslide vote in recognition of his great efforts raising money to fight cancer through Bike For Bobby, a 3,500 mile cycle ride between all the clubs managed by Sir Bobby.

Robbie says: "I’m really honoured to be chosen for this award.  In fact, I was blown away when I was told about it.

“I’d like to thank the North East Football Writers’ Association for thinking of me.  Bike for Bobby is something I’m personally very proud of but it really was an amazing team effort.

“Phil Gray who cycled every mile with me, my trainer Nick Grantham and the support team on the road and back at home, all volunteered their time to help make Bike For Bobby a success.  They were amazing.  So really, this award is for them as much as me and I’m pleased to say thanks from all of us.”

Awards for performances on the pitch were more tightly contested than the Personality of the Year.  After a close vote, the North East Football Writers' Association Player of the Year for 2012 will be awarded to Sunderland AFC goalkeeper Simon Mignolet, while the Young Player award will go to Middlesbrough FC’s Jason Steele, also a goalkeeper.

Colin Young, secretary of the North East Football Writers’ Association, says: “It’s inevitable that there are disagreements about who should win which award, that’s what makes the night so special.

“We’re football journalists so we all have strong opinions but there were no disagreements about selecting Robbie.  His efforts raising money to fight cancer were absolutely remarkable.  He deserves this recognition and more.

“This is always a special night and it’s good to look back over last season and take a break from what’s happening this year.  It’s also one of the rare occasions when all of the region’s clubs come together and it seems very fitting to be raising money for the Sir Bobby Robson Foundation.”

The Sir Bobby Robson Foundation funds projects within the Newcastle upon Tyne Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust that directly benefit cancer patients from across the north east and Cumbria, and which contribute significantly to research into the disease.

In the last year, Lady Elsie officially opened the Sir Bobby Robson Foundation PET Tracer Production Unit, which was jointly funded by the charity and Newcastle University.  The charity also announced it was contributing £850,000 towards life-saving new cyber surgery equipment at the Northern Centre for Cancer Care at the Freeman Hospital in Newcastle.

Both of these major advances in treatment and tumour detection for cancer patients will work in tandem with the clinical trials of new drugs within the Sir Bobby Robson Cancer Trials Research Centre.

www.bikeforbobby.com

THE FA'S SIR BOBBY ROBSON NATIONAL FOOTBALL DAY

The Football Association has announced it is holding The Sir Bobby Robson National Football Day on 10 August as part of their 150th anniversary celebrations, which begin today.

The day will celebrate grass roots football and volunteers in the game across the country and will honour Sir Bobby’s career in football, as well as raising awareness and fund-raising to support the work of his cancer charity - the Sir Bobby Robson Foundation.

Former England captain Alan Shearer, a Patron of the Sir Bobby Robson Foundation, says: "It’s great news. It just goes to show how highly the job Sir Bobby did for the national team and for football generally in this country is still appreciated. Rightly so.

“We’re very proud of his memory up in the North East, the region that he came from, but his legacy stretches far beyond that and this is a lovely reminder. Not that it’s needed, but I get them wherever I go; Bobby continues to inspire such huge affection and respect.

“He was so proud of his time with England. I know there were some difficult moments for him and some fierce criticism, but his enthusiasm and passion for the game in this country and beyond never wavered at all, which is amazing.

“He left a great footballing legacy, at international level, as well as at his clubs, and now he has a charitable one, too. I know that he would have been thrilled by this honour.”

Thanks to magnificent support from volunteer fund-raisers and generous donors, the Sir Bobby Robson Foundation has now raised over £4.7million and is making a significant impact in the fight against cancer.

In the last year, Sir Bobby’s widow Lady Elsie has officially opened the Sir Bobby Robson Foundation PET Tracer Production Unit, which was jointly funded by the charity and Newcastle University.  The charity also announced it was contributing £850,000 towards life-saving new cyber surgery equipment at the Northern Centre for Cancer Care at the Freeman Hospital in Newcastle.

Both of these major advances in treatment and tumour detection for cancer patients will work in tandem with the clinical trials of new drugs within the Sir Bobby Robson Cancer Trials Research Centre, also at the Northern Centre for Cancer Care.

Lady Elsie says: “I’m thrilled that the FA is involving my family and the Sir Bobby Robson Foundation in their 150th anniversary celebrations.

“My husband was immensely proud to represent England, both as a player and as a manager.  We had a wonderful quality of life in Suffolk and it was no small thing for Bob to give up being manager of Ipswich.  But he just didn’t feel he could turn his country down when he was approached.

“For him, it was a huge honour to be asked and he never took that role for granted.  Every game and every result meant the world to him and I think it’s that passion and commitment which people remember so fondly now.”

The Football Association continues to be an enthusiastic and generous supporter of the Sir Bobby Robson Foundation.

In February 2009, then England manager, Fabio Capello attended the opening of the Sir Bobby Robson Cancer Trials Research Centre and presented a cheque from the FA for £75,000.  The organisation also made a generous donation following Sir Bobby’s death later that year.

And current England manager, Roy Hodgson, will be among guests at the gala fund-raising event at the Sage, Gateshead, on 18 February to celebrate what would have been Sir Bobby’s 80th birthday.  Sir Bobby Robson – A Celebration is being organised by volunteers and will raise funds for the Sir Bobby Robson Foundation and Alan Shearer Foundation.

Lady Elsie adds: “Bob launched his cancer charity in 2008 and right from the start the FA has been on hand to support us.  So many people throughout the organisation help us continue the important work the Foundation funds.  It means a lot and we greatly appreciate it.

“I’m especially proud that the National Football Day is being named in Bob’s honour.  He’d have loved that.

“I think it’s very fitting as it will be a day celebrating and encouraging grass roots football.  And Bob never lost his own boyish enthusiasm for the game no matter what was happening off the field.

“He’d also want to know the ins and outs of all the football planned for the day, wherever it was in the country.  He always wanted to know the finer details when it came to football.

“He was at the helm of the national side for eight years - and they were eight very challenging years.  He missed the week in week out football matches of club football, the kind of adrenalin that comes with that, but it really was the pinnacle of his career.

“He was so close to success in Mexico and Italy and he loved working with the England players.  They were so supportive of him and he was never afraid to follow his own ideas, even when those tactics weren’t popular with others.

“To have come from a small Durham mining village and to go on to represent his country was such a big thing.  His parents were so proud.  Bob gave them one of his England caps and they had glass case made so they could display it in their bungalow in Langley Park.

“But then he was one of five brothers and they all succeeded in their own fields.  He never outshone any of them.  It was a very supportive family and it was that kind of community.  He brought that work ethos with him wherever he went.”


http://www.thefa.com/News/2013/jan/fa-150-national-football-day

GENEROUS TEESSIDE SUPPORT

Middlesbrough FC chairman Steve Gibson started this year off on a very positive note by receiving a cheque for £14,500 for the Sir Bobby Robson Foundation.

Steve is a Patron of the cancer charity launched by Sir Bobby to find better ways to detect and treat cancer and which directly benefits patients from across the north east and Cumbria.

The money was raised through a charity football match at the Riverside organised during the summer by 35-year-old Andy Clark who is originally from Billingham and now lives in London.

It was the fourth time Andy had arranged the charity game and this year was particularly special as it was in memory of his close friend Grant Harrison and last year’s match mascot Tom Gardiner.

Grant, 36, originally from Stokesley, died on holiday last January when he was electrocuted when reaching for a bottle of water from a fridge in Thailand.

And 12-year-old Tom from Middlesbrough, died from a brain tumour in December 2011.  Both Tom and Grant’s families attended the game.

Andy says: “Tom was mascot at last year’s charity match and his bravery touched everyone.  And Grant was a good friend of mine who played an integral part in all the games so the idea was to try and do something in their memory. 

“Tom’s sister Lucy was this year’s mascot and it was lovely that the families supported the event and came along to watch.  It was a very special and very emotional night.”

The game brought together passionate Boro fans who were keen to run out at the Riverside alongside former players Curtis Fleming, George Boateng, Gaizka Mendieta, Ugo Ehiogu, Neil Maddison and Colin Cooper.

Andy, who helps run Middlesbrough Supporters South, adds: “I hadn't planned to do another game but when I heard the sad news about Grant and Tom I decided I had to organise another game in their memory.

“There was a really enthusiastic crowd of about 1,000 people who came to watch the Boro heroes and support friends and family and that really added to the occasion.

“The Boro stars were great, posing for photos and chatting to fans and the match itself was entertaining with the blues running out 4-2 winners.

“Overall, the four games have raised over £45,000 for the Sir Bobby Robson Foundation, which is testament to the great generosity of the Teesside public.”

The Sir Bobby Robson Foundation funds projects within the Newcastle upon Tyne Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust that directly benefit cancer patients from across the north east and Cumbria and which contribute significantly to research into the disease.

Thanks to magnificent support from volunteer fund-raisers and generous donors, it has now raised over £4.7million and is making a significant impact in the fight against cancer.

Steve says: “Andy and his friends continue to do our club proud with their fantastic efforts for such a worthwhile cause.

“The Sir Bobby Robson Foundation is making a real difference to cancer services in our region and also paying for vital research into the disease.

“Cancer affects most us in some way during our lives and anything we can do to fight it has my wholehearted support.”

In the last year, Sir Bobby’s widow Lady Elsie has officially opened the Sir Bobby Robson Foundation PET Tracer Production Unit, which was jointly funded by the charity and Newcastle University.  The charity also announced it was contributing £850,000 towards life-saving new cyber surgery equipment at the Northern Centre for Cancer Care at the Freeman Hospital in Newcastle.

Both of these major advances in treatment and tumour detection for cancer patients will work in tandem with the clinical trials of new drugs within the Sir Bobby Robson Cancer Trials Research Centre.

CELEBRATING NEWCASTLE BUILDING SOCIETY BACKING

Two special charity-linked accounts proved to be the Newcastle Building Society’s most popular of the year raising an incredible £70,000 to fight cancer through the Sir Bobby Robson Foundation.

The Newcastle pledged its support to the Foundation in late spring and originally hoped to raise around £50,000 in the first 12 months.  However, the product is proving so popular, attracting millions of pounds worth of investments from its members that the Society is now hoping it will be able to donate more than £120,000 after a full year.

To celebrate the achievement, former Newcastle United player and Sir Bobby Robson Foundation fund-raiser Robbie Elliott visited the Society’s Gosforth branch to thank staff for their efforts.

Robbie, who cycled 3,500 miles to raise money to fight cancer through Bike For Bobby this year, says: “I was really pleased to represent the Foundation and celebrate reaching the £70,000 milestone with branch staff.

“To have raised this much, and so quickly, is just incredible and something for staff and members to be very proud of.

“Sir Bobby is someone I owe a lot to professionally and his Foundation has come to mean just as much to me.  I’ve seen at first hand the pioneering cancer facilities it is helping to fund and sadly, like most people, I’ve lost loved ones to the disease.

“Sir Bobby always said when not if we beat cancer and we have to keep that positive mindset.  We’ve just got to keep pushing to find better ways to detect and treat it.”

The Sir Bobby Robson Foundation is intrinsically linked to the Newcastle upon Tyne Hospitals NHS Charity and the substantial support it receives from this local NHS Charity means it can significantly limit administrative costs.

It does not employ professional fund-raisers to pro-actively raise money and co-ordinate volunteers and relies completely on third party and volunteer fund-raisers. 

The Newcastle Building Society is giving a cash donation to the Foundation for every pound invested by customers in its Sir Bobby Robson Foundation ISA and Savings accounts and is the charity’s first financial partnership.

Lesley Bonham, Gosforth branch manager, said: “It was fantastic having Robbie visit our branch as he’s so closely linked with the Sir Bobby Robson Foundation given his great fund-raising efforts for it recently.

“Our charity-linked products have been very successful and as a branch manager I’m really proud to see them being received so well by our members. We are thrilled to have reached our target ahead of schedule and are keen to continue to raise funds for this cause, which is close to so many hearts in the region.”

The Sir Bobby Robson Foundation funds projects within the Newcastle upon Tyne Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust that directly benefit cancer patients from across the north east and Cumbria, and which contribute significantly to research into the disease.

Last year, Lady Elsie officially opened the Sir Bobby Robson Foundation PET Tracer Production Unit, which was jointly funded by the charity and Newcastle University.  The charity also announced it was contributing £850,000 towards life-saving new cyber surgery equipment at the Northern Centre for Cancer Care at the Freeman Hospital in Newcastle.

Both of these major advances in treatment and tumour detection for cancer patients will work in tandem with the clinical trials of new drugs within the Sir Bobby Robson Cancer Trials Research Centre.

Anyone that would like open up a Sir Bobby Robson Foundation account with the building society can still do so in any of the Society’s 30 branches in the North East and Cumbria, online and by its contact centre. Please visit www.newcastle.co.uk for more information.