Mark Robson, son of the late Sir Bobby Robson, has visited Langley Park Primary School in County Durham, where his father was a pupil almost a century ago. The visit comes as the Sir Bobby Robson Foundation pushes to raise the final £500,000 needed to build a new cancer trials research centre at the Freeman Hospital in Newcastle.
Langley Park Primary, formerly Langley Park Infants, is close to where the former Newcastle United and England manager grew up. Mark Robson was invited as part of the school's commitment to its principles of compassion, ambition, respect and excellence (CARE).
Encouraging children to support charities
During the visit, Mark Robson encouraged pupils to think about how charities work. The Sir Bobby Robson Foundation, part of the Newcastle Hospitals Charity, has launched a new initiative called "Play for Sir Bobby" to encourage children to get involved in such work. The project includes a fundraising pack with challenges for people of all ages.
Mark Robson said: "I thoroughly enjoyed my visit to Langley Park Primary School. Mum and dad grew up here, they met here, and I think this visit is something my dad would have loved to do. He’d have enjoyed all the fantastic questions the pupils asked as much as I did. Dad was a pupil at Langley Park Infants and then at nearby Waterhouses School before he began work in the colliery.
"He was proud of his County Durham roots and took the work ethic he learned here wherever his football career took him. It was a real treat to share a little bit about his life with the Langley Park pupils and I appreciate the invitation to visit."
School fundraising and construction progress
Next month, pupils at the school will run their own fundraising to support the Sir Bobby Robson Foundation. David Mordue, the school's headteacher, said: "It’s wonderful for us to have someone like Sir Bobby connected to Langley Park. The values we hold as a school are the values he lived throughout his life, wherever he was in the world, and that’s inspirational for our pupils.
"We loved welcoming Mark to join our assembly and look forward to supporting the work of The Sir Bobby Robson Foundation. The importance of being caring is something we’re always keen to promote within our school."
Construction of the new centre began in April, and it is expected to open in 2027. For more information about the Sir Bobby Robson Institute, visit www.sirbobbysgreatestteam.co.uk. For fundraising enquiries, contact Kate Bradley at kate.bradley14@nhs.net or call 0191 213 7235.
