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Stars Come Out For Sir Bobby
Written by Newcastle Utd
Alan Pardew, Steve Harper and Shola Ameobi were among the famous faces to attend a stunning celebration of Sir Bobby Robson's life on Monday
By Dan King - Newcastle United Club Reporter
A host of star names from the world of football and entertainment attended and performed at a special evening of music and memories to celebrate the life of Sir Bobby Robson on Monday night.
On what would have been the legendary former Newcastle manager's 80th birthday, Sir Bobby Robson - A Celebration, supported by Virgin Money, was held at the Sage in Gateshead.
The charity event, which was originally planned before his death in 2009, was hosted by Jim Rosenthal and former Lindisfarne singer Billy Mitchell and current Magpies manager Alan Pardew attended along with Shola Ameobi and Steve Harper.
All three spoke about Sir Bobby while throughout the night, the stage was graced by the likes of Mark Knopfler, Stuart Pearce, Joe McElderry, Northern Sinfonia - Orchestra of The Sage Gateshead, The Unthanks, Simon Day, Paul Whitehouse, Russell Watson, Alistair McGowan, Peter Brewis of Field Music, The Cornshed Sisters, Paul Smith of Maximo Park, Ruby Turner, Faryl Smith, Scarlet Street, Ben Ottewell of Gomez and Tottenham Hotspur manager Andre Villas-Boas.
There were also several famous faces in the audience, including cricketer Steve Harmison and comedian Chris Ramsey, at the evening which raised funds for The Alan Shearer Foundation and Sir Bobby Robson Foundation.
Sir Bobby's son Mark Robson said: "It was an absolutely incredible night of music, sport and comedy. There were just so many performers - we're very thankful to them.
"They really were of the highest quality. Mark Knopfler, Ruby Turner, Russell Watson, Joe McElderry, The Unthanks, the list just goes on and on. It was a spectacular evening.
"In fact it was one of the best evenings I've ever had. Dad would have been gobsmacked.
"Steve Harper and Shola Ameobi shared some stories about Dad with Jim Rosenthal and they were hilarious really. They brought the house down. They're two funny chaps and it was good to hear them.
"We're just so grateful to everyone who helped make the night so special and particularly to the team of volunteers and the staff at The Sage Gateshead who put so much effort into it.
"The Sir Bobby Robson Foundation's doing exceptionally well. I guess that's thanks to Dad and his career and what people thought of him and we're going to keep it going.
"It keeps my mum, my brothers and I very busy. It's a lovely, lovely thing to do and to see the efforts of volunteers is humbling."
Photograph courtesy of North News and Pictures
