Auction organised by ex-firefighter tees up an impressive total for the Sir Bobby Robson Foundation

Organised by former firefighter Glenn Blaney, The Sir Bobby Robson Foundation Charity Golf Auction was supported by golf clubs from across the North East, Cumbria and Scotland.

After noticing a few years ago that someone in Lancashire had organised a golf-related auction in aid of the Help for Heroes charity, he decided to give something similar a go himself as he could not see that such an activity had happened in his region – and started off with a smaller-scale one for the Fire Fighters Charity.

Last year was the first auction organised by Glenn for the foundation, which was launched by Sir Bobby Robson in 2008. A total of 33 golf clubs took part and £1,500 was donated.

This time, 54 clubs provided a four-ball voucher to bid for and the total amount raised for the foundation was £3,475.

Glenn, who was part of the Northumberland Fire and Rescue Service for 31 years, said: “The support for the auction has been fantastic and the total has exceeded expectations.

“The vast majority of clubs in Northumberland have taken part over the two years and all 54 participating clubs across the region have encouraged their members to get involved with the auction.

“As I’m someone who enjoys playing golf, I know a few of the people running these clubs. However, most of them agreed to take part after I called or emailed them for the first time and a few saw it being mentioned online and contacted me to ask if they could be added.

“I would also like to thank everyone who made a bid during the auction.

“When I say that I’m raising money for the Sir Bobby Robson Foundation, the reaction has always been extremely positive. That says a lot about Sir Bobby as a man, but also about the way cancer impacts us all and the importance of more research into the disease.”

The foundation, part of Newcastle Hospitals Charity, aims to find more effective ways to detect and treat cancer.

Emma McQuitty, fundraising co-ordinator at Newcastle Hospitals Charity, said: “We’re very grateful to Glenn for all his hard work and to the many golf clubs and golfers who so generously supported his auction.”