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The Sir Bobby Robson Foundation is a British
cancer research Cancer research is research into cancer to identify causes and develop strategies for prevention, diagnosis, treatment, and cure. Cancer research ranges from epidemiology, molecular bioscience to the performance of clinical trials to evaluate ...
charity Charity may refer to: Common meanings * Charitable organization or charity, a non-profit organization whose primary objectives are philanthropy and social well-being of persons * Charity (practice), the practice of being benevolent, giving and sha ...
which raises money to fund the early detection and treatment of cancer, and
clinical trial Clinical trials are prospective biomedical or behavioral research studies on human subject research, human participants designed to answer specific questions about biomedical or behavioral interventions, including new treatments (such as novel v ...
s of anti-cancer drugs. Based in the North East of England, the Foundation was launched on 25 March 2008 in the name of Sir Bobby Robson, himself a cancer sufferer five times since 1992, and who died of the disease on 31 July 2009.


Activities

The initial goal of the Foundation was to raise £500,000 to fund equipment for a cancer research centre being built in the Freeman Hospital,
Newcastle upon Tyne Newcastle upon Tyne, or simply Newcastle ( , Received Pronunciation, RP: ), is a City status in the United Kingdom, cathedral city and metropolitan borough in Tyne and Wear, England. It is England's northernmost metropolitan borough, located o ...
, to be named The Sir Bobby Robson Cancer Trials Research Centre. Once this was secure, the Foundation would turn its attention to funding other cancer related projects in the North East of England. The Foundation raised £260,000 in just over two weeks. By November 2008 it had raised over £1 million, double the initial funding target of £500,000 set in February, which itself was passed in just eight weeks. By 15 October 2009, just over 6 weeks after Sir Bobby's death and nearly 19 months after its launch, the charity had raised over £2 million. It passed the £2.5m mark in September 2010. The Foundation had its origins in a wish by Sir Bobby on the eve of his 75th birthday to leave behind a legacy for future cancer victims in the North East and give something back to the
NHS The National Health Service (NHS) is the term for the publicly funded health care, publicly funded healthcare systems of the United Kingdom: the National Health Service (England), NHS Scotland, NHS Wales, and Health and Social Care (Northern ...
in return for the care he had received in his own battles against cancer. In February 2007 Robson had been diagnosed with terminal cancer, and had begun
chemotherapy Chemotherapy (often abbreviated chemo, sometimes CTX and CTx) is the type of cancer treatment that uses one or more anti-cancer drugs (list of chemotherapeutic agents, chemotherapeutic agents or alkylating agents) in a standard chemotherapy re ...
treatment to keep it under control. Robson had initially been reluctant to use his name to raise money, but did so invoking the
Geordie Geordie ( ), sometimes known in linguistics as Tyneside English or Newcastle English, is an English dialect and accent spoken in the Tyneside area of North East England. It developed as a variety of the old Northumbrian dialect and became espe ...
idiom, " Shy bairns (children) get nothing". The foundation is a UK registered charity, and is based in Swalwell village,
Tyne and Wear Tyne and Wear () is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in North East England. It borders Northumberland to the north and County Durham to the south, and the largest settlement is the city of Newcastle upon Tyne. The county is ...
. The Foundation operates in an area stretching north to
Northumbria Northumbria () was an early medieval Heptarchy, kingdom in what is now Northern England and Scottish Lowlands, South Scotland. The name derives from the Old English meaning "the people or province north of the Humber", as opposed to the Sout ...
, south to
Sunderland Sunderland () is a port City status in the United Kingdom, city and metropolitan borough in Tyne and Wear, England. It is a port at the mouth of the River Wear on the North Sea, approximately south-east of Newcastle upon Tyne. It is the most p ...
, and west to
Cumbria Cumbria ( ) is a ceremonial county in North West England. It borders the Scottish council areas of Dumfries and Galloway and Scottish Borders to the north, Northumberland and County Durham to the east, North Yorkshire to the south-east, Lancash ...
, and supports the activities of the Newcastle upon Tyne Hospitals
NHS Foundation Trust An NHS foundation trust is a semi-autonomous organisational unit within the National Health Service (England), National Health Service in England. They have a degree of independence from the Department of Health and Social Care (and, until the a ...
. The Foundation is registered with the
Charity Commission The Charity Commission for England and Wales is a non-ministerial department of His Majesty's Government that regulates registered charities in England and Wales and maintains the Central Register of Charities. Its counterparts in Scotland and ...
as the Newcastle upon Tyne Hospitals NHS Charity The idea for the foundation came about after Sir Bobby was told by his doctor that an upcoming
NHS The National Health Service (NHS) is the term for the publicly funded health care, publicly funded healthcare systems of the United Kingdom: the National Health Service (England), NHS Scotland, NHS Wales, and Health and Social Care (Northern ...
cancer research centre had no funds in place for equipment. This centre was the Early Cancer Trials Unit in the Northern Centre for Cancer Care (NCCC), one of the largest cancer centres in the
United Kingdom The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Northwestern Europe, off the coast of European mainland, the continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotlan ...
. The unit was to be part of the consolidation of the NCCC into a new £80 million centre being built at the Freeman Hospital. Parts of the new NCCC site opened in October 2008, and it was due to be fully open by early 2009. The 28 December 2008
football Football is a family of team sports that involve, to varying degrees, kick (football), kicking a football (ball), ball to score a goal (sports), goal. Unqualified, football (word), the word ''football'' generally means the form of football t ...
match at
St James' Park St James' Park is a Association football, football stadium in Newcastle upon Tyne, England. It is the home of Newcastle United F.C., Newcastle United. With a seating capacity of 52,305, it is the List of football stadiums in England, 8th la ...
between
Newcastle United Newcastle United Football Club is a professional association football club based in Newcastle upon Tyne, Tyne and Wear, England. The club competes in the Premier League, the top tier of English football league system, English football. Since th ...
and
Liverpool Liverpool is a port City status in the United Kingdom, city and metropolitan borough in Merseyside, England. It is situated on the eastern side of the River Mersey, Mersey Estuary, near the Irish Sea, north-west of London. With a population ...
was designated the Sir Bobby Robson day by the Newcastle United Supporters Club, celebrating the man and raising funds for the foundation. The Sir Bobby Robson Cancer Trials Research Centre part of the NCCC was opened on 20 February 2008, staffed by academics from
Newcastle University Newcastle University (legally the University of Newcastle upon Tyne) is a public research university based in Newcastle upon Tyne, England. It has overseas campuses in Singapore and Malaysia. The university is a red brick university and a mem ...
, and medics from the NHS Trust. Robson opened the centre two days after his 76th birthday, with a surprise 15-minute speech, having been expected to attend the ceremony but not speak. In front of guests including
Fabio Capello Fabio Capello (; born 18 June 1946) is an Italian former professional association football, football manager (association football), manager and player. As a player, Capello represented SPAL, AS Roma, Roma, AC Milan and Juventus FC, Juventus. H ...
,
Alan Shearer Alan Shearer (born 13 August 1970) is an English Association football, football pundit and former professional player who played as a striker (association football), striker. Widely regarded as one of the best strikers of all time and one of t ...
and
Peter Beardsley Peter Andrew Beardsley (born 18 January 1961) is an English football coach and former footballer who played as a forward or midfielder. In 1987, he set a record transfer fee in the English game and represented his country 59 times between 1 ...
, Robson vowed to carry on fundraising. By the time of the research centre's opening, the Foundation had raised £1.2m. In addition to equipping the research centre, further fundraising by the Foundation had enabled the funding of two 3-year training posts to be supported by the centre, one being a research nursing position, and the other a fellowship doctor post. The Foundation has also funded other projects. This has included the commitment to purchase a Biomarker Generator, an ultra-compact
cyclotron A cyclotron is a type of particle accelerator invented by Ernest Lawrence in 1929–1930 at the University of California, Berkeley, and patented in 1932. Lawrence, Ernest O. ''Method and apparatus for the acceleration of ions'', filed: Januar ...
from Tennessee-based ABT Molecular Imaging. The first of its kind in Europe and second in the world, it was to be housed in a new clean-room facility built in the School of Chemistry at
Newcastle University Newcastle University (legally the University of Newcastle upon Tyne) is a public research university based in Newcastle upon Tyne, England. It has overseas campuses in Singapore and Malaysia. The university is a red brick university and a mem ...
. It has also raised money for relevant equipment and building works at the Royal Victoria Infirmary hospital. On 24 January 2009 it was announced the famous Italia '90 World Cup semi-final loss against
West Germany West Germany was the common English name for the Federal Republic of Germany (FRG) from its formation on 23 May 1949 until German reunification, its reunification with East Germany on 3 October 1990. It is sometimes known as the Bonn Republi ...
, in which Robson's England team were beaten 4–3 on penalties after a 1–1 draw, would be replayed as the Sir Bobby Robson Trophy match in aid of the Foundation. It was held on 26 July at
St James' Park St James' Park is a Association football, football stadium in Newcastle upon Tyne, England. It is the home of Newcastle United F.C., Newcastle United. With a seating capacity of 52,305, it is the List of football stadiums in England, 8th la ...
, and would feature players from the original World Cup squads and other special guests, with the winning team being awarded the Sir Bobby Robson Trophy. Sir Bobby died on 31 July 2009, shortly after attending the tribute match. At the time of his death, the Foundation had raised £1.6m. Donations totalling £156,000 were received by the Foundation in the 18 days following his death. The Foundation benefited from special commemorative kits and scarves produced for the
Championship In sport, a championship is a competition in which the aim is to decide which individual or team is the champion. Championship systems Various forms of competition can be referred to by the term championship. Title match system In this sys ...
match between
Newcastle United F.C. Newcastle United Football Club is a professional association football club based in Newcastle upon Tyne, Tyne and Wear, England. The club competes in the Premier League, the top tier of English football. Since the formation of the club in 1881 ...
and
Ipswich Town F.C. Ipswich Town Football Club is a professional association football, football club based in Ipswich, Suffolk, England. The club currently competes in the EFL Championship, the second tier of English football league system, English football ...
, two of Sir Bobby's former clubs, held on 26 September 2009 at Ipswich's Portman Road ground. After the game, which Newcastle won 4–0, the shirts were signed by the players and auctioned individually on
eBay eBay Inc. ( , often stylized as ebay) is an American multinational e-commerce company based in San Jose, California, that allows users to buy or view items via retail sales through online marketplaces and websites in 190 markets worldwide. ...
. The auction raised £31,187 for the Foundation, who pledged it to the building of a teenage cancer unit at the Royal Victoria Infirmary. On 15 October 2009, coinciding with the Foundation reaching the £2m mark, it was announced that
Alan Shearer Alan Shearer (born 13 August 1970) is an English Association football, football pundit and former professional player who played as a striker (association football), striker. Widely regarded as one of the best strikers of all time and one of t ...
was to be the Foundation's new
patron Patronage is the support, encouragement, privilege, or financial aid that an organization or individual bestows on another. In the history of art, art patronage refers to the support that princes, popes, and other wealthy and influential people ...
, after being asked by Sir Bobby's family to carry on his work. This was followed with the appointment of three further patrons during 2010. Steve Gibson, chairman of
Middlesbrough F.C. Middlesbrough Football Club ( ) is a professional association football club based in Middlesbrough, North Yorkshire. They compete in the EFL Championship, the second level of the English football league system. Nicknamed the Boro, they were fo ...
, Mick Mills, Robson's former captain at Ispwich Town F.C., and
Niall Quinn Niall John Quinn (honorary Order of the British Empire, MBE; born 6 October 1966) is an Irish former professional Association football, footballer, manager, businessman and sports television pundit. As a player, he was a Striker (association f ...
, chairman of Sunderland F.C. In November 2009 the Foundation was to launch a DVD titled a 'Knight To Remember', profiling Sir Bobby's life, including his last interviews and contributions from friends, family, and the world of football, with 75% of proceeds going to the Foundation. The DVD was to feature a version of ''
Blaydon Races "Blaydon Races" ( Roud #3511) is a Geordie folk song of 1862, with lyrics by George Ridley written in a style deriving from music hall. It celebrates the horse races held at Blaydon in North East England that year, although mostly composed ...
'' sung by
Jimmy Nail James Michael Aloysius Bradford (born 16 March 1954), known as Jimmy Nail, is an English singer-songwriter, actor, film producer, and television writer. He played the role of Leonard "Oz" Osborne in the television show ''Auf Wiedersehen, Pet'' ( ...
, Kevin Whately and Tim Healy of ''
Auf Wiedersehen, Pet ''Auf Wiedersehen, Pet'' () is a British comedy-drama television programme about seven British construction workers who leave the United Kingdom to search for employment overseas. In the first series, the men live and work on a building site ...
'' fame, with an additional verse written in dedication of Sir Bobby.
And now a word for Bobby Robson, hero of the Toon; A football man, a gentleman, who never let we doon; A friendly word, a cheery smile, and brave right to the end; We're proud to say your one of wors, Sir Bob... Auf Wiedersehen
On 29 November 2009 the Foundation was to be presented with the John Fotheringham Award by the North East branch of the Football Writers' Association at their annual dinner. Marking the occasion of gaining the support of the East Coast train operating company, the express franchise for
Scotland Scotland is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It contains nearly one-third of the United Kingdom's land area, consisting of the northern part of the island of Great Britain and more than 790 adjac ...
– Newcastle – London routes, in March 2011 Robson's widow Elsie and Alan Shearer named one of its locomotives ''Sir Bobby Robson''. The Foundation has also been promoted by the local bus company
Go North East Go North East is a bus operator running both local and regional bus services in County Durham, Cumbria, Northumberland, North Yorkshire and Tyne and Wear, England. It was previously known as the Northern General Transport Company and Go-Ahead No ...
, known for their individual branding of routes, who from June 2010 branded four buses used on the 30-minute frequency X25 express, which runs between Langley Park where Robson lived, and Newcastle City Centre ( Eldon Square bus station), with Foundation information and an image of Robson.The 2015 Auction organised by Ipswich Town supporter Gina Long from
Suffolk Suffolk ( ) is a ceremonial county in the East of England and East Anglia. It is bordered by Norfolk to the north, the North Sea to the east, Essex to the south, and Cambridgeshire to the west. Ipswich is the largest settlement and the county ...
was another great success for the SBR Foundatio

In the 2016 New years Honours List, Gina Long was made an MBE for her charity work.


See also

*
Cancer Research UK Cancer Research UK (CRUK) is the world's largest independent cancer research organisation. It is registered as a charity in the United Kingdom and Isle of Man, and was formed on 4 February 2002 by the merger of The Cancer Research Campaign and t ...
* Cancer in the United Kingdom


References


External links


Sir Bobby Robson Foundation official site

Northern Centre For Cancer Care
at www.nhs.uk (NHS Choices)
Images of the Northern Centre For Cancer Care

Northern Centre For Cancer Care
at www.newcastle-hospitals.org.uk (Newcastle upon Tyne Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust)
Sir Bobby Robson Cancer Trials Research Centre
page at the Newcastle University website
Sir Bobby Robson Cancer Trials Research Centre
at www.newcastle-hospitals.org.uk (Newcastle upon Tyne Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust)
Charity reaches £5m
The FA website {{Authority control Cancer organisations based in the United Kingdom Cancer research Organizations established in 2008