Newcastle United, who held a Football Aid Charity game at St. James' Park on 21 May, which raised a net figure of £5420 for distribution to good causes, has been given £1048 by Football Aid (20% of the total net figure) to distribute to a local charity on Tyneside. Since the Magpies recently became Patrons of the Fleming Children's Trust, the Club have decided that this money be donated to that Charity. The Fleming Children's Trust is dedicated to providing care and support for children in hospital as well as after care support too in the General, RVI and Freeman Hospitals in Newcastle. The Trust also cares for the families of the children who stay with them in hospital.

The Fleming Children's Trust is the regional centre for specialist care for sick children and over the years it has helped in many diverse ways with a wide range of assistance given to the children's hospital services including children's play equipment, grants towards new research, medical equipment and parent and family accommodation.

Newcastle United's patronage of the Trust is ongoing, with a cheque for £10,000 already having been presented by the Club to the Trust earlier this year on 19 May.

United Chairman, Freddy Shepherd, was delighted to comment:

"Our support of children in local hospitals has been ongoing for a number of years and, after becoming Patrons of the Fleming Children's Trust, the presentation to them of this additional money raised through Football Aid was the fitting thing for us to do."

Football Aid's primary objective was to raise funds for diabetes charities and in its first year proved extremely successful

Football Aid's Grahame Paterson said:

"The event at Newcastle was absolutely tremendous and it was a privilege for Football Aid to be at St. James' Park, it was everything we could have hoped for and more. I am delighted the money raised will be going to a very worthwhile cause in the North-East."

-- Anonymous, June 26, 2001

Answers

Well done!

-- Anonymous, June 26, 2001

Great story - thanks DeB.

-- Anonymous, June 26, 2001

We do a lot of work for charidy (sic) mate, but we do like to talk about it

-- Anonymous, June 26, 2001

And why not? In today's climate the club get nothing but knocks. A lot are rightly due but some are not so who can blame them for trying to redress the balance.

-- Anonymous, June 26, 2001

brilliant stuff

-- Anonymous, June 26, 2001

Its good that the club do this stuff - imagine how much more they could give if they hadnt wasted money on Marcys wages!

Problem now is that no-one wants to look on the good side of the club, thats gone and now we are only there to be shot at.

-- Anonymous, June 26, 2001

Sorry to be a misery-guts, but I live and work on Tyneside and never heard the faintest whisper about this charity game. Perhaps a bit of work spent letting people know it was on would have generated a sight more than 5k from a potential 50k seats. Just a thought like. By the way, I ran the route of the Great North Run on my own last night and raised 20p for Leaukimia research: I just didn't want to brag about it.

-- Anonymous, June 27, 2001

a drop in the ocean, coppers for them :-(

-- Anonymous, June 27, 2001