A Newcastle businessman is on a mission to raise £2m to help disabled youngsters in the city's West End.
Rob Armstrong has rallied his celebrity friends including Piers Morgan, Jeremy Kyle and Peter Andre, to back his fundraising drive for Hadrian School. The Geordie entrepreneur, who is the director of Dean Taxis, is hoping to raise £2m to create a hydrotherapy pool, massage room and café at the school on Bertram Crescent.
The new facilities at the school, which looks after some of the most severely disabled children in the North East, would accommodate the leisure and therapy requirements of the region's disability community for life.
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It comes four years after Rob helped to raise £1.4m for the school's Rebound Therapy Centre which was then named after him in recognition of his fundraising efforts. The businessman has supported the school for around 20 years, ever since he replaced computers that were stolen by thieves.
In May this year, Rob organised a charity ball, hosted by Jeremy Kyle, in aid of the new facilities. It saw celebrities including Piers Morgan, Peter Andre, Chris Tarrant, and Eammon Holmes, along with a number of Newcastle United stars, send in video messages in support of the appeal.
The North East business community helped to raise £250,000 at the event and pledged a further £750,000 in additional support.
Rob said: “The work that headteacher Chris Rollings and his team do at Hadrian is amazing and it is my goal to help them to create the region’s best community disability hub for the benefit of everyone needing its facilities. People have been fantastic, such as Courtney Cliff, who has once again donated a huge amount of labour and materials, including all the bricks needed to complete the project.
"But he’s not alone, as so many others have either pledged cash or in-kind help with the building. We have a fantastic business community here and the dream of a community disability hub is fast becoming a reality.”
Participants using the hub would be able to engage in activities including power wheelchair sports, dance, music, karate, football, disability Pilates, yoga and swimming. It will also offer the disabled community a place to meet, eat, socialise, and hire as a venue for parties and celebrations.
Hadrian School head teacher, Chris Rollings, said: "The amount Rob has raised and pledged so far is remarkable. His vision for our school is taking us to a new level in the care, education, and welfare of our pupils and the wider disabled community.
"We are holding a special assembly in honour of Rob and his friends on Friday, July 8 to show him how much we appreciate his kindness."
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