THE family of Sir Bobby Robson got together yesterday to celebrate the success of the cancer charity set up in his name – as it nears the £4m mark.
Christmas came early for the Sir Bobby Robson Foundation when volunteer fundraiser Gina Long presented a cheque for £102,112 to the charity, bringing the total raised to just over £3.9m.
Mrs Long was the driving force behind Sir Bobby’s Breakthrough Auction, the online auction and charity ball organised jointly in aid of the Sir Bobby Robson Foundation and Breakthrough Breast Cancer, in memory of the former Newcastle United manager and cancer campaigner Sally Balch.
Yesterday, Mrs Long travelled from her home in Suffolk to the Sir Bobby Robson Cancer Trials Research Centre at Newcastle’s Freeman Hospital to present his widow Lady Robson with the money raised.
She said: “Thankfully Sir Bobby’s Breakthrough Auction became a massive success with support from all over the world. That’s because my dear friends Sir Bobby and Sally, who I was so privileged to have enjoyed special times with over many years, were both extraordinary people. They both lived their lives inspiring those around them and certainly made the world a better place.”
The news comes at the end of a great year for the charity. Just last week the North East became the first place in Europe to get a £1.2m cancer scanner – thanks in part to the Sir Bobby Robson Foundation.
The charity donated £625,000 to buy the ABT Molecular Imaging Biomarker Generator, which is now installed at Newcastle University.
The machine is only the second of its type in the world and will help with the diagnosis and treatment of cancer and other serious diseases including Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s.
Sir Bobby’s son Mark said: “We feel overwhelmed and humbled by the amount of money that has been raised and our dad would have been delighted. Over the last year, during difficult economic times, fundraisers have done so many different things to raise money and they’ve shown an incredible amount of support.”
One patient who is benefiting from the foundation is primary school teacher Frances Sheeran, who is part of a clinical trial for a new breast cancer drug.
The mother-of-three was diagnosed with the illness in March this year and visits the centre once a week for treatment, which she will continue to do until finishing the trial next month. Mrs Sheeran, 58, of Kingston Park, said: “It’s great that the North East has a cancer trials research centre that benefits patients in the region. I hope that by taking part in the clinical trial I’m offering hope to others who have the illness.”
Lady Robson said: “This has been a very positive year for the Sir Bobby Robson Foundation and I hope everyone who has helped out in any way shares my pride at our achievements together.”
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