The Toast of the Tyne evening will see masked guests greeted with a welcome drink, followed by a five course meal prepared by Sodexo’s award-winning team of chefs and an evening of live entertainment, raising money for the two chosen charities.
In addition to fundraising on the evening, which will include a silent auction, auction and raffle, the charities will receive a minimum of 10 per cent of ticket sales.
Prizes available on the evening include a signed Arsenal FC shirt, a pair of tickets to Elton John’s Wonderful Crazy Tour at the Metro Radio Arena and a midweek break in a Northumberland Lodge, including £100 of treatment vouchers.
“We’ve chosen to support the Sir Bobby Robson Foundation and Bright Red as there are an estimated 2.5 million people in the UK today who have had a cancer diagnosis and these two charities have played a significant role in improving both cancer treatment and diagnosis in the North East,” said Frankie Angus, general manager for Sodexo Prestige Venues & Events at St James’ Park.
“The event is the brainchild of our duty manager Gemma Nugent and we hope it will be a celebration of the wonderful achievements of our region and help two very deserving North East charities continue to make further advances in cancer research.”
The Sir Bobby Robson Foundation was launched in 2008 by Sir Bobby Robson himself, as he faced cancer for what would be the fifth, and final, time.
The Foundation funds projects within the Newcastle upon Tyne Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust that directly benefit cancer patients from across the North East of England and Cumbria – and which also contributes significantly to international research into the disease.
Committed patrons such as Alan Shearer, Niall Quinn and Delia Smith are continuing Sir Bobby’s work today, with the charity raising more than £9m to date.
Bright Red is a charity founded to improve the lives and treatment of people in the North dealing with blood cancer. Through patient care, research and education they are striving to beat illnesses such as leukemia, lymphoma and myeloma.
In their first five years they have invested more than £1,000,000 into improving patient care, developing staff and funding research. In the next five years, their vision is to make the North East the safest place in the UK to be treated for blood cancer.
Tickets for the Toast of the Tyne masquerade ball are priced at £500 for a table of 10, or £55 for individual tickets, and are available from St James’ Park by calling 0191 201 8525, or emailing gemma.nugent@sodexo.com.