(Image: THE SIR BOBBY ROBSON FOUNDATION)
Pupils at a County Durham primary school got a football history lesson from Sir Bobby Robson’s son, who visited to celebrate the North East icon’s life and legacy.
Mark Robson, the former England manager’s youngest son, told children aged four to 11 about his father’s childhood, football career and charity work.
Pupils heard how Sir Bobby fell in love with football in Langley Park’s back lanes before becoming a colliery apprentice electrician and a celebrated player and manager.
Mark also brought several of his father’s England caps.
Sir Bobby Robson's son, Mark Robson. (Image: THE SIR BOBBY ROBSON FOUNDATION)
He said: “I thoroughly enjoyed my visit to Langley Park Primary School.
“Mum and dad grew up here, they met here, and I think this visit is something my dad would have loved to do.
“He'd have enjoyed all the fantastic questions the pupils asked as much as I did.
“Dad was a pupil at Langley Park Infants and then at nearby Waterhouses School before he began work in the colliery.
“He was proud of his County Durham roots and took the work ethic he learned here wherever his football career took him.
“It was a real treat to share a little bit about his life with the Langley Park pupils and I appreciate the invitation to visit.”
Headteacher David Mordue said: “It’s wonderful for us to have someone like Sir Bobby connected to Langley Park.
“The values we hold as a school are the values he lived throughout his life, wherever he was in the world, and that's inspirational for our pupils.
“We loved welcoming Mark to join our assembly and look forward to supporting the work of The Sir Bobby Robson Foundation.
“The importance of being caring is something we're always keen to promote within our school.”
The visit coincides with the launch of Play For Sir Bobby, which urges schools to raise money for The Sir Bobby Robson Foundation through activities of their choice.
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Langley Park pupils are planning their own fundraising efforts later this month, with money raised going towards the Sir Bobby Robson Institute, a new cancer drug trials centre being built at Newcastle's Freeman Hospital.
The facility is expected to support pioneering cancer treatment for patients across the North East, North Cumbria and North Yorkshire.
The foundation, set up by Sir Bobby after his own cancer diagnosis, funds cancer treatment, research and patient care across the North East.