North East football united today at Rockliffe Hall Hotel, Hurworth-on-Tees, to raise funds for the Sir Bobby Robson Foundation - on the day the Foundation announced it has now passed the £9million fundraising mark (previously £8.3 million).

The Sir Bobby Robson Celebrity Golf Day, sponsored by Pin Point Recruitment, is a popular fixture on the region’s golf calendar and brings together current and former representatives of Middlesbrough, Newcastle United and Sunderland football clubs to raise money for local people facing cancer.

Organised by Sir Bobby’s family, the event sold out well in advance and the venue was, once again, beautiful Rockliffe Hall Hotel, near Darlington.

A host of famous faces attended, including Sir Bobby Robson Foundation Patron, Alan Shearer.

Alan says: “Sir Bobby’s sadly left us but he’s left something very special behind with this charity.

“The funds that have been raised, and the work which has been carried out, is absolutely staggering and it continues to get bigger and better. 

“We’ve got a fantastic day here.  It’s a great venue and great people coming together, many travelling from all over the country to be here.  It’ll be competitive and great fun but mainly today is about raising money and awareness of a great cause.”

Former Sunderland AFC player, Michael Gray, says: “The Sir Bobby Robson Foundation Golf Day has been going for a few years now and it’s absolutely fantastic.  It’s amazing to see how much the Foundation has raised with days like this.  It galvanises everybody from the North East and brings them together, and that can only be good for the area.

“I feel very proud to be part of it.  Sir Bobby had the amazing knack of bringing people together when he walked into a room you knew he was there.  He was a ‘head turner’ and a true gentleman, not just in sport, but in every walk of life.

“I think that’s why his name can still galvanise this area. The Foundation’s message is very important, every little bit of support helps and it will keep getting stronger, bigger and better the more people that get involved in it.”

Middlesbrough Football Club Chief Executive, Neil Bausor, says: “The Sir Bobby Robson Foundation is a cause very close to our hearts at Middlesbrough and we are delighted the Celebrity Golf Day is now a highlight on the annual calendar.

“It’s a great day out for all the teams to raise much-needed funds for the detection and treatment of cancer.”

Former cricketer, Graeme Swann, is a fan of Newcastle United and great supporter of the Sir Bobby Robson Foundation.

Graeme says: “Today is about the Sir Bobby Robson Foundation and, for me personally, it’s a great opportunity to play with some of my football heroes like Alan Shearer and Steve Harper. 

“Sir Bobby transcended those barriers between and football clubs and supporters.  Very, very few people do that and he was possibly the most popular England manager ever.

“Cancer doesn’t care who you support or how many goals you scored last year or whatever, it will affect everybody sooner or later.

“It’s vital that organisations like this Foundation exist and the fact that Sir Bobby’s name is attached to this one makes it extra special.”

The Sir Bobby Robson Foundation funds projects, including the clinical trials of new drugs, that directly benefit patients from across the North East and Cumbria and which contribute significantly to international research into cancer.

To make a donation, view messages of support, or for more information please visit www.sirbobbyrobsonfoundation.org.uk or donate by sending a cheque to Sir Bobby Robson Foundation, Charitable Funds Office, Peacock Hall, Royal Victoria Infirmary, Newcastle upon Tyne, NE1 4LP.

The FSF's "Twenty's Plenty" weekend of action takes place on Saturday 3rd and Sunday 4th October with activity at games throughout the leagues. Newcastle supporters will be joining with those of Manchester City at the Etihad on Saturday prior to the game; lending their joint support of the FSF campaign.

Twenty's Plenty for Away Tickets aims to reduce costs for travelling supporters, in order to make football more affordable and acknowledge the huge, positive impact away fans have on the game. Many think home tickets are often too expensive as well, but the current focus is on away tickets as there is currently more chance of league-wide action on this. 

Since it was launched as Twenty's Plenty back in 2013 many clubs have listened and started to reduce prices on a reciprocal basis and Newcastle United has been at the forefront of trying to get reciprocal deals in place for our supporters and they have just announced a deal with Stoke City to peg away tickets at £20 this season. Similar deals for West Ham (£25) and Watford (£25) have already been announced this season, with a £10 reduction on adult ticket prices for supporters travelling to  Bournemouth in November (making them £23).

There's still a long way to go, but that's what these protests are all about, keeping the pressure on clubs and the issue in the media spotlight. This FSF campaign has saved fans hundreds of thousands - lets help turn that into millions of pounds saved. Please back “Twenty’s Plenty”

Everyone seems to have an opinion of what’s going wrong at Newcastle United and the latest to put his opinion forward is former Arsenal and England striker Ian Wright; who believes that the weight of the black n white shirt is too great and that the club  “can’t deal with pressure of the expectation”.

According to Wright: “The pressure at Newcastle is top four pressure in a team that is a bottom four team – that is not the mixture you want.”

And compared to Sunderland he added: “I think they’ve got better players than Sunderland but I think that the pressure the Newcastle players are under – especially at home – they can’t deal with the pressure of the expectation.

In just 231 days Mark ‘Run Geordie Run’ Allison will set off from Portugal on the next leg of his incredible Around the World challenge (correct as of 12 September).

The European segment is 3,400 miles long and follows on from his previous runs down the UK and across the USA and Australia.

Mark’s personal dedication to raising funds for his two chosen charities, The Children’s Foundation and the Sir Bobby Robson Foundation, is staggering but his fundraising efforts are very much a team effort.  Something he was keen to underline this week with a support team and sponsor get together at the Jury’s Inn, Gateshead.

Generous commercial sponsors, including headline sponsor SOS Group Ltd, are enabling Mark to raise additional charity funds through t-shirt sales and events, while sports therapists, fitness instructors and training partners are helping ensure he is preparing himself correctly for the tough challenge that lies ahead. 

Sponsors are also helping kit Mark out with the specialist equipment, dietary supplements and footwear required and, on the route itself, he will be accompanied by a extremely dedicated support team.

Like Mark, the support team consists entirely of unpaid volunteers who are taking time off work to join the challenge.  Paying for their own travel expenses, they will accompany and support Mark each day, helping him cope with the physical and mental pressures and providing vital encouragement as the miles take their toll.

Mark, from Bedlington, explains: “There are so many people behind-the-scenes who have become part of our team and I couldn’t do any of this without them.

“We have relationships that have developed over many years and I treasure that support. 

“It’s personal.  I need to know I can rely on my support team and they need to know they are working with someone who will give everything for the two charities.

“I’m very proud to have so many wonderful people backing my efforts.  They, along with the thousands of people who have been kind enough to donate money over the years, are really what keep me going.”

Mark’s support team and sponsors came together at Jury’s Inn, Gateshead, to meet with representatives of The Children’s Foundation and the Sir Bobby Robson Foundation, including Lady Elsie.

It was an opportunity for Mark to ‘unveil’ his new SOS Group-branded running kit, while Professor Ruth Plummer, from the Sir Bobby Robson Foundation, and Peregrine Solly, chief executive of The Children’s Foundation, spoke to the group about the work funded through both charities.

Mark adds: “It’s been quite emotional for me to have everyone together like this.  Every person in the room tonight is key to my Around the World challenge and Ruth and Peregrine’s speeches were inspiring. 

“It’s just great, for me and the charities, to have had the opportunity to say thank you and let everyone know how much we appreciate their support.”

In addition to headline sponsor SOS Group Ltd, Mark is receiving support from Fresh Freight Group, Chapman Ventilation, Cherry Active, Virgin Money and Sport Newcastle.

There are currently 13 on the support team and Mark is hoping to recruit three more people before his next challenge begins.

They are already working hard finding most cost-effective nutrition products, helping plan the route, collating sunrise and sunset times for each country and much more besides.

It will take Mark until at least 2024 to finish the Round the World challenge and he will have to do it in eight segments as family life, work and finances permit.

He will need to cover a total of 20,000 miles, over four continents and through 23 countries and it will take him approximately 608 days (1 year and 243 days) to complete.

His challenge began, although he didn’t know it at that time, with his John O’Groats to Land’s End 874 mile run in 2007.  He has also already ‘ticked off’ the USA (2011) and Australia (2013), 3,100 miles and 2,384 miles respectively, but still has approximately 13,642 miles to go.

The European leg brings its own set of challenges, not least running through 13 different countries.  Mark will begin on 1 May in Lisbon, Portugal, and will finish 100 days and 3,400 miles later in Istanbul, Turkey, on 9 August. The run is 500 miles longer than the USA and will be completed in the same number of days.

The chosen route passes through Portugal, Spain, Andorra, France, Italy, Slovenia, Switzerland, Germany, Austria, Croatia, Serbia, Bulgaria, Greece and Turkey.

It includes both the Pyrenees and the Alps and will take in many huge climbs including the Stelvio Pass (9,045 feet) in the Italian Alps.  It is a huge step up from his previous runs in terms of distance and elevation and, as well as mental, physical and logistical difficulties, there will be language and cultural barriers to overcome.

After Europe, Mark will tackle the Turkey, Georgia, Russia and Kazakhstan leg (2018), then China (2020), Japan (2022) and New Zealand (2024) – all timings are approximate and dependent on Mark’s circumstances.

For more information about Run Geordie Run Around the World please visit www.rungeordierun.com and follow Mark on Twitter @RunGeordieRun.

If you would like to donate to the two charities, The Children’s Foundation and the Sir Bobby Robson Foundation, please visit www.virginmoneygiving.com/rungeordierun.