Gala awards dinner raises over £80,000

A star-studded evening brought together football legends, current players and community heroes to celebrate the life-changing work of the Foundation of Light, Sunderland AFC’s official charity.

Held at the Beacon of Light, the Gala Awards Dinner raised over £80,000 to further the Foundation’s efforts tackling regional challenges, including social isolation, unemployment, and poor mental health.

Hosted by Sky Sports’ David Jones and SAFC Live’s Frankie Francis, the event featured a performance by vocal harmony group The Overtones.

Black Cats stars Romaine Mundle and Niall Huggins, Natasha Fenton, Brianna Westrup, Louise Griffiths and Megan Borthwick of Sunderland AFC Women, and club legend Kevin Ball were all on hand to meet the winners and present their awards.

Winners included Jacob Northover, an aspiring blind footballer who is now on England Blind Football’s development pathway, and Emily Cassap, who advanced from the Foundation’s female player pathway to Sunderland AFC Women’s first team and England U17s. Another winner was Azeem Iftikah, who made a new life in the North East of England thanks to the charity’s over-55s Wear Together groups after fleeing from Pakistan as a refugee.

Reflecting on the night, Sir Bob Murray, Foundation of Light chairman, said: “It’s always such a special night when we come together to celebrate the amazing achievements of the Foundation and the incredible people we’ve had the privilege to support.

“Times are tough for so many, and the cost-of-living crisis has meant our work has been more important than ever.

“This year, we’ve worked hard to reach those who need us most, with new programmes and initiatives making a real difference in people’s lives.

“Our Gala Dinner is a chance to not only share these inspiring stories but to keep the momentum going by raising the funds we need to carry on this important work.

“Hearing about the journeys of the children, families, and adults we’ve supported is always humbling. Their determination and strength deserve to be celebrated, and it’s an honour to shine a spotlight on their successes.”

The evening highlighted the charity’s Wear One campaign, uniting the community to support the region’s most vulnerable.

This year’s Wear winners, in full, were:

Hetton Academy Pupils – Wear Passionate Award sponsored by The Murray Family

Nushrath Begum – Wear Innovative Award sponsored by the Harrison Centre for Social Mobility

Cole Griffiths – Wear Excellent Award sponsored by Aspire Technology Solutions

Julie – Wear Ground-Breaking Award sponsored by Stagecoach

Michael Keogh – Wear Inspired Award sponsored by The Banks Group

Regan Carter – Wear Courageous Award sponsored by Sweeney Miller Law

Lynda Brown – Special Recognition Award

Emily Cassap – Wear High-Performing Award sponsored by Sunderland AFC

David Morris – Wear Dedicated Award sponsored by Sunderland Council

Beth Rae – Wear Giving Back Award sponsored by Helen McArdle

Jack Smithson – Wear Making a Difference Award sponsored by Karbon Homes

Youth Voice – Wear Collaborative Award sponsored by the Premier League

Azeem Iftikah – Wear Together Award sponsored by John Wood

Jacob Northover – Wear Resilient Award sponsored by Hummel

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