Innovative cancer research and treatment took a big leap forward today with the official start of construction for the £30million Sir Bobby Robson Institute at Newcastle’s Freeman Hospital.
The institute will create a new home for cancer trials in the region, providing an increase in space and specialist facilities which will allow the expert teams who work there to carry out 50% more research.
As part of Newcastle Hospitals, the institute will support NHS patients from the North East, north Cumbria and North Yorkshire, many of whom could directly benefit from the trials conducted there.
Construction of the building is being financed by The Sir Bobby Robson Foundation, part of Newcastle Hospitals Charity, with the official groundbreaking ceremony taking place today next to the Northern Centre for Cancer Care at the Freeman Hospital.
Thanks to the generosity of donors, supporters and fundraisers more than £26.5 million has been raised to support the project, including an incredible £2 million donation from the Barbour Foundation.
Mark Robson, Sir Bobby’s son and chair of The Sir Bobby Robson Foundation, says he is proud to be playing a part on such an important day but there is still work to do:
“This is a momentous day and I can only imagine what my dad would be feeling if he was here. We’re so proud that his legacy in setting up the Foundation has brought us to this point and I know he’d be incredibly grateful to everyone who has supported us.
“He’d be thrilled by the ambition of this institute, and he’d be telling us to enjoy this moment and then get out there and get the rest of the funds needed to finish this job. We’re winning but we haven’t heard the final whistle yet.
“We began our fundraising for the institute with £20 million already raised by our Foundation’s long-standing supporters and fundraisers, which is phenomenal. All those coffee mornings, sponsored runs and heartfelt donations helped us to get here, and we can’t thank them enough.
“And now, over the past few months, a group of incredible founding donors have come forward to help us reach £26.5 million.
“The next phase is critical, and we’re focused on raising the final £3.5 million needed to complete funding for the project.
“Dad called the foundation his last and greatest team for good reason, and we welcome any support that people can give.”
In 2008, Professor Ruth Plummer, consultant medical oncologist at Newcastle Hospitals was treating Sir Bobby for cancer when she asked for his help with undertaking a clinical trial for a new cancer drug. She said:
“When Sir Bobby first set up his foundation it was initially to help us raise half a million to equip our current cancer drug trials unit.
“Since then, demand for cancer clinical trials has continued to increase both locally and internationally.
“We have the specialist expertise and experience in Newcastle to do even more trials and the new institute will make a huge difference in allowing us to provide more access for patients, giving people a chance to try an innovative treatment that could work for them while also being part of something bigger in terms of developing new cancer treatments.
“Quite simply, more research means we move forward with more options and better outcomes for patients, improving what we can provide now and in the future.”
The three-storey Sir Bobby Robson Institute will bring together the current Sir Bobby Robson Cancer Trials Research Centre and the hospital’s cancer and blood disorders (oncology and haematology) research teams.
Dame Margaret Barbour, Chair, The Barbour Foundation said: “I am delighted that through The Barbour Foundation, we have been able to support the building of The Sir Bobby Robson Institute. The Institute will play a vital role in pioneering and advancing new cancer treatments, bringing hope and making a real difference to the many people battling this terrible disease.”
For Sir Bobby Robson Institute fundraising enquiries please contact Kate Bradley [email protected] or call 0191 213 7235.
For more information about The Sir Bobby Robson Foundation, please visit: www.sirbobbysgreatestteam.co.uk
Pictured left to right: Dame Margaret Barbour, The Barbour Foundation; Neil Kennedy, Robertson Construction, Helen Barbour, The Barbour Foundation; Teri Bayliss, Newcastle Hospitals Charity; Andrew Robson, Lady Elsie Robson, Mark Robson; Sir Paul Ennals, Professor Ruth Plummer and Ashraf Azzabi, The Newcastle upon Tyne Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust; Danny Humphrey, The Barbour Foundation; Rob Harrison, The Newcastle upon Tyne Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust.
