25th Anniversary Celebrations
Wallsend Boys’ Club celebrates its 25th Anniversary and Sting plays football at the Boys’ Club.
The New Year of 1992 began with yet another party, this one a belated 25th anniversary of the opening of the club building. On January 7th a cocktail party was held with guests including many who had helped the club over the previous quarter century. The Lord Lieutenant, Sir Ralph Carr-Ellison, was again in attendance and officially opened a refurbished canteen. “This I feel was a splendid occasion with a good cross section of persons who have helped the club over the 25 years, since the club re-opened.”
According to press coverage Sir Ralph apologised for not being able to meet everyone during the evening, but said he did enjoy his visit to the club and wished the management, staff and members every success in the future years. Dave Beardall was quoted as saying, “One must give a big vote of thanks to our Treasurer who was able to find a sponsor who supplied the wines and the finger buffet for the occasion at no cost to the club, also everyone who helped to set up the photograph display, flowers, bar and general help without which it would not have been possible to have such a super occasion. I hope that everyone who attended the evening enjoyed himself or herself and that we could have another celebration when the club will be 50 years old in 1998, since the foundation of the club was in 1938”.
Inevitably many of the write-ups in the local press referred to the roll call of professional players produced over the previous 25 years, but there was also a mention of a ‘failure’ in that regard in ex-member Gordon Sumner, who had of course gone on to become the international rock star Sting. As Gordon Sumner he had played regular five-a-side football at the Boys’ Club. He still remembered the Boys’ Club with affection and in the recent past he was presented with a number of their ‘Wallsend to Wembley’ tee shirts.
On Thursday October 12th 2006 the club held its annual fund raising dinner at the Assembly Rooms in Newcastle when 350 guests had another tremendous evening out. Sting donated his bass guitar to the boys’ club for auction to help raise funds. The guitar raised over three thousand five hundred pounds in the auction.
