A NORTH East Olympian called on celebrity friends to tee-off for a good cause yesterday.

Jarrow-born athlete Steve Cram teamed up with Newcastle legend Kevin Keegan for a charity golf day to help disadvantaged children.

The pair were joined by a host of famous faces, including footballers John Beresford, Lee Sharpe, Craig Hignett and Marco Gabbiadini.

The golf day, held at Slaley Hall, in Northumberland, aimed to raise £20,000 for Steve Cram’s charity Comrades of Children Overseas (COCO).

COCO was founded by the former world record holder to improve the lives of children living in poverty throughout the developing world, mainly in Africa.

The charity funds small projects that encourage community involvement.

Also enjoying a game yesterday were players from Durham County Cricket Club, including Paul Collingwood, Steve Harmison, Phil Mustard and Liam Plunkett.

The event, which was supported by Dunelm Property Services, saw 37 playing teams from the North East and further afield tackle the two 18-hole courses at Slaley Hall.

As well as competing for the honour of winning first prize, the teams were battling it out for a golf break to the Desert Springs Resort, in Spain.

Steve Cram said: “Despite summer being a hectic time in the world of athletics, my golf day is something that I, and everyone else at COCO, very much look forward to.

“We are extremely lucky to have such amazing supporters and celebrity friends who make the day very special, raising vital funds for COCO projects around the globe. I’m always very humbled with the huge support we get from all sectors of the business community.”

The celebrity line-up also included ‘80s pop star Kid Creole.

Kid Creole ended the day by performing live at a star-studded dinner last night.

Money raised during the eighth Steve Cram Celebrity Golf Day will fund the work of COCO in Africa.

The charity is currently helping young people in Tanzania and Ghana to access vocational skills to improve their chances of employment.

In northern Kenya, COCO is installing sanitation systems at schools to minimise disease and encourage attendance.

In Uganda, work is underway with farmers to improve the nutrition levels of people in their communities who are HIV positive.

Founded by the former Olympic athlete in 2000, COCO has since raised over £2m.