On 6th November 1978 I walked onto main site of the DHSS and started my first day in the Civil Service in CPB Ledgers 09 Room B1704. 40 years to the day later and I'm standing on stage at the Newcastle United FC Foundation Dinner being interviewed by the BBC's Gabby Logan; chatting with Rafa Benitez, Lady Elsie Robson, former Newcastle United and England International Andy Cole and then being presented with the Alder and Sweeney Community award 2018 by Newcastle United star player Ayoze Perez. An award named in honour of the two Newcastle United supporters who lost their lives along with 281 other passengers and 15 crew when Malaysian Airways flight MH17 was shot down over the Ukraine on 17th July 2014.

I accepted the award not for myself but on behalf of the 52,000 Newcastle United supporters who give their backing and donate to the NUFC Fans Foodbank on match days; helping to feed over 1.000 people a week who attend the Newcastle West End Foodbank; the largest Foodbank in Europe. The idea for a collection point on match days came about after a conversation with two friends, Colin Whittle and Bill Corcoran, having seen Ken Loach's film I Daniel Blake and wondered if there was anything we, as football supporters could do to empower NUFC's fanbase to help people in our community that needed support.

We had faith in our fellow football supporters to rally around and In less than 2 seasons the match day donation station has raised cash and produce donations to the value of over £170,000. last Saturday prior to the Premier League game v Bournemouth, a further £2,300, 350kg of food produce and over 450 advent calendars were added to that total. As a now ex civil servant I find it shocking that so many are being impacted by our Government's policies and practices that underpin Universal Credit (UC) and make food banks so essential and are now being used by Government Ministers as a backstop holding together their failing policy.

Football clubs are often viewed as the mealticket workplace of pandered athletes; young men out of touch with reality. However, I can honestly say that in Newcastle United, their playing, coaching and executives teams, its charitable arm the Newcastle United Foundation and its senior management, operations, finance and development teams, learning and skills coaches, community officers, health and football development coaches, the match day staff; including hospitality, safety, security, corporate and facilities and not forgetting the tea lady we have a collective team who have truly embraced the principles of the Newcastle Fans Foodbank Initiative, supporting the work of the Newcastle West End Foodbank. Their support has played a huge part in the initiatives success and every supporter should be proud of their involvement. As they should their own!

Foodbanks are not there to replace any part of a benefits system but sadly UC is making their need even greater than ever. we aren't feeding junkies, rough sleepers or benefit cheats; we are feeding normal families who don't have enough money to see them through the week; can't survive waiting up to 12 weeks for benefits to be put in place; mothers who are struggling to balance between buying school uniforms, heating their homes, feeding their children and often going without hot meals themselves.

To anyone and everyone who donates to a foodbank; THANK YOU.

Sales of a beautiful new dahlia have raised a magnificent £1,900 to support the work of the Sir Bobby Robson Foundation.

The dahlia, Westerton Ella Grace, is being sold by Halls of Heddon and was bred by brothers Gordon and Harold Hodgson from Binchester, near Bishop Auckland.

Halls of Heddon is one of the country’s leading dahlia and chrysanthemum nurseries and sends out tens of thousands of plants annually to growers across the UK and beyond.

Each year, Halls introduces a number of new varieties on behalf of amateur breeders, which are available exclusively through the nursery. Those breeders, like Gordon and Harold, are entitled to a royalty payment based on the number of plants sold in the first year of introduction.

Very generously, the brothers requested the money earned through this new dahlia, Westerton Ella Grace, be donated to the Sir Bobby Robson Foundation. It is the ninth dahlia Gordon and Harold have bred and sold commercially, and it has been the best-selling dahlia variety for Halls this year.

Gordon, who has been breeding dahlias since 2009, says: “I’ve always been interested in the garden and I love the colour and variety of dahlias. They create an oasis of colour.

“Ella Grace is a tall, strong variety. For the exhibitors, it’s the form of this dahlia they like. It’s round and has good petal formation. But it’s gone out to a variety of people and lots have just wanted it for their gardens because they love the colour.

“This is the third time Harold and I have chosen to donate money raised through our flowers to the Sir Bobby Robson Foundation. We’ve both suffered from cancer so it feels like the right thing to do.”

Sir Bobby Robson launched his Foundation in 2008 to help find more effective ways to detect and treat cancer.

The work funded directly benefits cancer patients in the North East and Cumbria and plays a significant role in the international fight against the disease.

Lady Elsie was very proud to receive the cheque on behalf of the charity and was thrilled to leave Halls with a large bouquet of Westerton Ella Grace dahlias

Lady Elsie says: “I’ve really enjoyed my visit to Halls. What lovely people and I’m so grateful to everyone involved for raising this money.

“How wonderful to help raise funds for our Foundation with something so beautiful and which gives so much pleasure to gardeners.”

Halls of Heddon was founded in 1921 and remains a family business. Run by a team including husband and wife, Dave and Sue Hall, the nursery sent out more than 70,000 plants this year.

Gordon named Westerton Ella Grace after the Halls’ great niece, something Dave and Sue are very proud of.

Sue says: “We’re so happy that Gordon named this beautiful dahlia after our great niece. I snuck up on him one day when he was up at the nursery and said, if you ever need a new flower name Ella Grace is beautiful. So I think my gentle persuasion may have helped!

“It’s a gorgeous dahlia and has already won some prizes nationally. We’re thrilled with how well it’s sold. I think it’s the combination of a great breeder, flower and cause.”

Working within the NHS, the Sir Bobby Robson Foundation does not employ professional fundraisers to proactively raise money and relies completely on third party, volunteer fundraisers and the incredible generosity of the general public.

September 12, 2018 is the Sports Direct AGM. This is an opportunity for shareholders in the Company to ask the Board questions about their running of the business. This level of transparency exists because Sports Direct is a publicly traded company, their shares can be bought and sold on the Stock Market by anyone, and the stock price is effected by things like governance and profits. External factors like bad press and government investigations can also impact share price, and of course when someone has a lot of their wealth tied up in the wallpaper that is Sports Direct shares, their personal wealth can be impacted heavily by these factors too. It’s interesting to note that in the few weeks since the #IfRafaGoesWeGo movement started that the Sports Direct share price has dropped 15% or so.

Unfortunately Newcastle United is not a public company, rather it is a private limited company and there are no external shareholders - Mike Ashley (well St James’ Holdings) - owns Newcastle United Limited lock stock and barrel. That does not mean that his ownership and governance of Newcastle United can go completely without scrutiny. The point of a limited company is to separate it from the owner and director, to create a separate entity to the owner and directors, and protect them in case the limited company fails. The owners and the directors are exposed to liabilities in a limited way. In exchange for this protection there are a whole host of laws and regulations that the company and directors (who are generally, but not always, the owners) must adhere to. There are documents, papers and accounts that must be filed annually and these are published by Companies House (which also is one of the departments of HM Government which regulates Companies).

In the case of Newcastle United Limited, there is currently only one Company Director, Lee Charnley. We all know that Mr Charnley has some control over the running of Newcastle United, we’ve also heard the names Justin Barnes and Keith Bishop bandied about. We all know that while many day to day decisions about the running of Newcastle United are taken by Lee Charnley, the ultimate Boss is Mike Ashley. He can keep Newcastle United at arm’s length as much as he wants, but the facts are the facts: St James’ Holdings is listed as a Person with Significant Control of Newcastle United Limited and a certain Michael James Wallace Ashley is listed the sole Director (and Person with Significant Control) of St James’ Holdings Ltd as well as the sole Director and shareholder of MASH Holdings Ltd.

Questions to consider:

1.   Is Mike Ashley (as the ultimate shareholder and director) in breach of Company Law by running Newcastle United Ltd for Sports Direct’s and his own benefit rather than for the benefit of NUFC?

2.    How was it in NUFC’s interest for Newcastle United Ltd to sell the Gallowgate land to MASH Holdings Ltd, thus preventing its own physical expansion?

3.    Is the free advertising of Sports Direct at St James’ Park declared as a benefit in kind? If so what is the value?  If not, what does HMRC have to say about the arrangement?

3.     What impact does Sports Direct’s free advertising at St James’ Park have on Newcastle United Ltd’s bottom line?

4.    Given what we know about the relationship between Newcastle United Ltd and Sports Direct PLC, what benefits does Newcastle United get from the arrangements?

5.    How does the bad publicity around Mike Ashley’s ownership of Newcastle United Ltd impact on Sports Direct (and vice versa)?

6.    Considering that Keith Bishop Associates Ltd is 51% owned by Sports Direct (which is majority owned by Mike Ashley), and is also paid by Newcastle United Ltd, could some of the negative stories about Newcastle United being spun by people connected to either SD or KBA be deemed to be against the best interests of Newcastle United - while KBA PR is simultaneously being paid by Newcastle United Ltd? Is this conflict of interest acceptable?

​
Further question:

The Sports Direct AGM would be an ideal time for its Chairman Keith Hellawell to clarify the financial benefits that Sports Direct gain from their major shareholder Michael James Wallace Ashley's ownership of Newcastle United Ltd and why his company pays nothing to Newcastle United Ltd in exchange for these benefits. Over you you Mr Hellawell.

The Magpie Group has released details of a planned demonstration outside the Sports Direct Store on Northumberland St at 11am this Saturday.  The Group wish it to be known that the emphasis is very much on this being a Peaceful protest which respects those who wish to go about their normal Saturday morning shopping as well as those who simply work inside the store. So the message is get yourself along, bring your mates; make your presence felt with your feet and your voice.  And remember, WE ARE UNITED.

Dear Mr. Ashley,

You hold the hopes, expectations and fate of all Newcastle United fans in your hands. It has been over ten years
of broken promises, lies and deceit. Two relegations, the embarrassment of Joe Kinnear and everything before,
after and in between. Surely now - enough is enough?

Over the last six months a number of meetings and discussions have taken place between many Newcastle fan
groups and organisations. We now all come together under one banner, The Magpie Group, and we are united in
our common desire for Newcastle United to be a club to be proud of at the heart of our local community.
In May 2015 you said "from this day forward we will be making our own luck." These empty words have not been
backed up with actions and relegation, once again, soon followed. It is clear now that it is in the best interests of
both you and the future of Newcastle United that the club is sold.

We cannot speculate on the terms of takeover talks but we know from credible sources that talks have taken
place and bids have been made. We cannot comment on the factors which must be taken into account in order to
value the club but a number of things are now clear.

The new TV deal has been agreed and Newcastle United is in need of a major rebuilding project, from urgently
required investment in the first team playing squad, to the need for significant investment to bring the club's
training facilities and academy up to an acceptable standard following over ten years of neglect on your watch.
If one word could sum up Newcastle United it is potential. A potential you have no interest in. We now have a
world class manager in Rafa Benitez who has united the fans for the first time in a long time, but this alone is not
enough to counteract chronic neglect and under-investment under your ownership.

We need an owner that is prepared to back Rafa Benitez, not only by investing properly in the playing squad but
by backing him to deliver the widespread change needed throughout the club from training ground to academy.
An owner who is not prepared to just release a manager invested in the club, city and community, when the
opportunity arises.

If you cannot attract a buyer that meets your valuation then you must understand that this is because of the
significant amount of investment now required to restore our football club to what it should be.

We have seen the reaction to the #IfRafaGoesWeGo movement and this has acted as a catalyst to bring the
wider fan base together. We are all united in that we will do anything we can, both as groups and together as a
fan base, to drive through a change in ownership.

Over to you, Mike. You have already admitted you are not the man to take the club forward. It is time to sell up
and go.

You are only one man. We are a city.

We are United.
The Magpie Group

NUFC Fans United is proud to stand shoulder to shoulder with the other fans' groups and supporters' organisations under the umbrella of The Magpie Group. The Magpie Group was formed in July 2018 by a network of Newcastle United supporters’ groups uniting for the benefit of Newcastle United and their local community. The name pays homage to the protest group in the 1980s and 90s which eventually paved the way to one of the most glorious eras in Newcastle United’s proud history... READ MORE

As a group, we are deeply concerned with current events at NUFC. There are reports that the Manager is having his summer budget withheld as he has not committed to sign a contract extension.

The Fans Forum fully supports Rafael Benitez in his right not to sign a new deal until he’s seen sufficient evidence to support his and the Fans’ ambition.

We also feel that the club’s board need to support him now more than ever to show him that they are ambitious and are willing to be a stable top ten club pushing for European qualification and for domestic Cup success.

We’ve seen Season Ticket prices rise significantly, England’s most expensive replica shirts and little evident appetite to attempt to compete in the transfer market whilst clubs around and below us significantly invest.

​We sincerely hope the Manager gets the assurances he seeks and signs a long-term deal.

Most parents with children at university have experienced it. They drop off their child for Freshers Week happy in the knowledge that the accommodation that the University provide within their halls is of the highest quality. The properties are modern, clean, fresh; the bathrooms and kitchen facilities well proportioned and finished to a high quality. The mixed areas are kitted out with plasma screens, expresso machines, computer gaming bays, free internet, wifi and concierge and security service that gives parents a feeling of caring reassurance and just as importantly, safety.

The first year passes like a dream and as the summer break closes in, you leave it to your child to arrange their accommodation for the next year. Most want the freedom of living together with their friends; Matt from Poole, Julia from Derby, Isaac from Chelmsford and Karen from Kingston on Thames whose father is a merchant banker and mother is big in publishing. You met them all when you first dropped your own 18 year old off. They all looked clean cut, polite, well mannered and the parents were similar although a little nervous and uncertain; very much like yourself. You’re confident that wherever they choose to live together will be of a high standard!

Summer comes and goes; you’ve barely seen your now more confident and assured son or daughter. They haven’t really needed you as they’ve slept through most of the summer mornings and been out most summer nights. They’ve surfaced occasionally for food and to ask to borrow a tenner that turns into a twenty when you have nothing smaller. You never see it again btw.

Next thing you know they’re packing up heading down the A1 in a car stacked with sports bags, pillows and Asda bags full of provisions that mother feels are essential if their little darling is to see through the first few weeks before student finance sort out their act!

“It’s just down there dad, past the second hand furniture shop, the taxi office and the all night off licence; it’s next to the one with the security gate attached to the external frame of the front door”

Unlike the neighbours’, the property looks ok from the outside but doesn’t stand up to inspection once you get inside. It’s shabby. Its lick of paint has been put on slapdash; by a jobbing builder, whose main talent is roofing or laying pavements not painting and decorating.

It is advertised as fully furnished yet the fixtures and fittings are definitely 1980’s, the wiring suspect, the carpets threadbare, the bathroom and kitchen require modernizing and while modern features from the 1990’s such as a microwave and washer drier are installed, they are definitely not of the most modern range that tenants have become accustomed to as standard.

There are no telephony or internet connection facilities. There is however a sticker on the grubby fridge door advertising a local store ran by a friend of the landlord, whose nephew can arrange internet connectivity by hanging off the back of the neighbours hi-speed connection via a series of cables, copper wire and a couple of cocktail sticks stuck in the back of special black box that he gets from a contact in Ghuangdhu.

What is obvious is that the absentee landlord is doing the bare minimum to justify the rent he is charging. He doesn’t live in the house therefore he has no real interest in anyone’s opinion of its condition. He knows that with demand outstripping supply he will eventually find someone who will sign up to his terms and conditions of tenure.

But you learn that all is not lost. The Absentee Landlord has been in discussion with a Housing Association with a track record in regional development and presented him with a plan that will not only completely refurbish his property buy also help regenerate the whole area as most of the other property owners have agreed that if the absentee landlord commits to the remedial work necessary to bring his property up to a modern functioning standard, they too will reciprocate; clearing their gardens of waste, updating the general wellbeing of the are and working with the local authority to bring life to this once vibrant part of the city. All it will take will be for the Absentee Landlord to invest in his own property and trust the Housing Association that they can bring the property up to the standard expected; supported by the Regional Development Agency.

As you leave your son or daughter with four weeks of tinned food, a limitless supply of pot noodles and £20 credit on their phone your abiding thought is will the absentee landlord take up the Housing Associations offer and by the time you return to collect their belongings at the end year two you can see the changes that have been made have really made a difference. And most importantly, your son or daughter wants to stay and sign up in the property for the duration of year three.

Of course, there is nothing to stop an Absentee Landlord selling his property to someone who wants to work with the Housing Association; not only putting the physical house back in order but also adding new modern fixtures and fittings, perhaps building an extension, tidying up the gardens and garage and creating a property that puts the pride back into the area

Any Absentee Landlord wishing to know more about the works of the Housing Association referred to, what is has to offer and how it can bring regeneration to run down properties and areas, please check out the record of its Chief Executive Rafa Benitez @rafabenitezweb

For more on Development Agencies in your area check out @IfRafaGoesWeGo  #IfRafaGoesWeGo