TACKLING THE BIG ‘C’
Little did Gina Long know when she started an online charity auction in 2011 in honour of her dear friend, Sir Bobby Robson that it would raise a staggering £248,000 and gain the backing of the football fraternity worldwide. Building on this success, the second Sir Bobby’s Breakthrough Online Auction will kick-off on 10th October, with an ambitious goal to raise £1 million.
“I was lucky enough to know Sir Bobby for over 35 years and over those years, he and Lady Elsie were hugely supportive of my voluntary fundraising. Hence, I wanted to create something very special that would not only honour his memory, but also raise funds for his charity, the Sir Bobby Robson Foundation.
“George Berry kindly introduced Mark Robson and I to Gordon Taylor OBE and after explaining my online auction initiative, he and the PFA fully embraced the campaign. I am very grateful to him and his team for all they are doing in supporting Sir Bobby’s Breakthrough campaign.”
Gina continued: “I was touched by the warmth of the responses and the individual support I received from Pelé, David Beckham OBE, Andy Carroll, Robbie Savage and Robbie Elliott, to name but a few. There was huge generosity shown and donations of sporting memorabilia and ‘money can’t buy’ experiences came from all the Premiership and Championship Football Clubs.”
However, the icing on the cake came when Jose Mourinho donated his FIFA Ballon D’or –the prize he won in 2010 for ‘World Coach of the Year’. The Ballon D’or was the star prize in the 2011 auction and raised a jaw dropping £26,000, closely followed by the two FC Barcelona Experiences donated by Josep ‘Pep’ Guardiola, which achieved £12,500 each.
This year’s auction is being supported again by HRH the Prince of Wales, as well as the PFA and the FA, the LMA and major football and sports clubs globally.
In fact, the world of football came out in force at the PFA Awards Dinner in April, to give their backing. Led by PFA CEO, Gordon Taylor OBE, along with David Sheepshanks CBE, Chairman of St George’s Park and Richard Bevan, CEO of the LMA, the industry came on-board to urge businesses and individuals to take part by donating or bidding.
The online auction will go live on 10th October, following a media event the previous evening hosted by headline supporter BT Sport and BT Donate, and runs for just over two weeks until 27th October.
“What’s really exciting this year is that, alongside the online auction, a new dimension has been added to the fundraising.” Gina explained. “From now until the 27th October, a “Text-To-Win” competition* is taking place. In return for a small donation, people are able to simply text 83222 and BOBBY4 for the chance to win one of four monthly prizes on offer.”
The Robson family are closely involved with the campaign and Sir Bobby’s son, Mark, is a committee member. He commented: “My family knows first-hand the pain cancer can cause, which is why we
are so committed to continuing the work started by my father in supporting research for new treatments. My family and I are very grateful to everyone who has contributed a prize and we continue to be astounded by the generosity of the businesses and individuals who get involved.”
The last word goes to the person who was closest to Sir Bobby, his widow Lady Elsie, who said, “My family and I are extremely grateful to Gina Long for her vision, hard work and enthusiasm in creating this ambitious charity venture. We’re also very appreciative of all the people who have supported and helped by volunteering their time and expertise and those who have donated incredible auction prizes.
“When my husband and I launched our charity, the Sir Bobby Robson Foundation in 2008, Bob said he felt like he was at the helm of a team again - what he called his last and greatest team – and taking on a challenge far greater than any football match! Sadly, cancer affects us all in one way or another, but with us all pulling together, one day we will beat it. I urge you all to please consider becoming involved with Sir Bobby’s Breakthrough campaign.”
* For more information on how to take part in Sir Bobby’s Breakthrough campaign or for full details including the T&Cs for the Text-to-Win.
Visit: www.sirbobbysbreakthrough.com.
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