Plans Unveiled For £30M Sir Bobby Robson Foundation Funded Cancer Institute

Plans have been unveiled for the proposed Sir Bobby Robson Institute, a £30m cancer research and treatment facility next to the Northern Centre for Cancer Care at the Freeman Hospital in Newcastle. Construction is being funded by The Sir Bobby Robson Foundation, part of Newcastle Hospitals Charity, and for the first time images and detailed plans of the proposed building are now available.

Part of Newcastle Hospitals, the proposed institute would pioneer more ground-breaking innovation in cancer treatment and would significantly increase the number of clinical trials available for patients across the North East, north Cumbria and North Yorkshire.

Plans have been submitted this week and, if planning permission is granted, construction is scheduled to begin in spring next year, with the opening planned in 2028.

A hugely significant £20m has already been raised by Sir Bobby Robson Foundation supporters that will be used to fund the project and a fundraising campaign is set to be launched to raise the final £10m needed.

Sir Bobby’s son, Mark Robson, is one of 122 Sir Bobby Robson Foundation fundraisers currently preparing for Sunday’s Great North Run and he thinks plans for the new institute will be putting a spring in everyone’s step.

Mark says: “I’m looking forward to joining all the Foundation runners on Sunday and I’m sure, for every one of us, news about these plans being submitted will motivate us all the way to South Shields.

“The Sir Bobby Robson Institute is only a possibility because of all the fundraising that’s come before and everyone involved with Dad’s Foundation is thrilled we can now share the exciting plans for the institute.

“If we’re successful, it would be a gamechanger in terms of cancer research and treatment in this region.”

The new institute would bring together the current Sir Bobby Robson Cancer Trials Research Centre at the Northern Centre for Cancer Care and the hospital’s cancer and blood disorders (oncology and haematology) research team.

While its catchment area would cover around 3.5million people living locally, the work there could benefit cancer patients around the globe.

Mark adds: “When Dad launched The Sir Bobby Robson Foundation in 2008, it was to raise the money to equip a cancer trials centre, so we’ve come full circle in a way.

“Only this time, because of the support we’ve received over the years, the plans are more ambitious. I know he’d be so thankful and proud of every single fundraiser.

“It meant the world to him to see people fundraising, people wanting to help, and to know that the money donated was going to do something positive for those who came after him and who would also be facing cancer.

“The support for his Foundation has never let up and I’m incredibly touched to know Dad’s name is still associated with life-saving cancer treatment.”

The Sir Bobby Robson Institute would be a three-storey building, providing a dedicated space with the latest equipment and technology to allow an increase the number of clinical research studies taking place at Newcastle Hospitals.

Ensuring even more cancer patients have the opportunity to take part in clinical trials, it would allow a 50% increase in activity, over five years, meaning specialist cancer research teams could pioneer more ground-breaking innovation in treatment by accepting a higher number of complex and larger trials.

With fundraising enquiries please contact Kate Bradley Kate.bradley14@nhs.net or call 0191 213 7235.

For more information about The Sir Bobby Robson Foundation, please visit: www.sirbobbyrobsonfoundation.org.uk