Keith's family roots help Willington Quay Saints club in North Tyneside to net sponsorship

A series of personal circumstances from his past led to a man who lives near Morpeth putting his hand in his pocket to sponsor an under 7’s football team.
By Andrew Coulson
Published 2nd Nov 2022, 15:51 BST
Updated 2nd Nov 2022, 15:51 BST
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Keith Newman, who runs Highlights PR from Ulgham, heard that Willington Quay Saints were looking for a sponsor to help its juniors section.

Willington Quay Saints was originally formed by Graham Ford almost 25 years ago. A charity football match in 2010 between the senior team and fans of the club raised a lot of money for charity and ever since, the ‘Fordy Cup’ has been played each year in memory of Graham – who passed away in 2010.

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More than £40,000 has been raised since then, with the British Heart Foundation benefiting.

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Keith Newman, left, with team members, coach Liam Hunter and Keith’s aunt Diane (Arthur’s wife). Picture by Tom Stewart.Keith Newman, left, with team members, coach Liam Hunter and Keith’s aunt Diane (Arthur’s wife). Picture by Tom Stewart.
Keith Newman, left, with team members, coach Liam Hunter and Keith’s aunt Diane (Arthur’s wife). Picture by Tom Stewart.

Despite raising money for charity, the management team wanted to create a new venture as a legacy for Graham. As a result, Willington Quay Saints Juniors was set-up again in 2019 after a 17-year absence with six teams from under 7’s to under 12’s. Today, there are 16 junior teams.

Keith heard about the sponsorship opportunity after the North Tyneside Business Forum put out an SOS and it triggered a lot of thoughts, which led to him sponsoring the boys and girls in the under 7’s team with full matchday strips and a full set of training kit for each player.

He said: “I’d just attended the funeral of my Uncle Arthur and when I was there, I discovered that he was a coach and fan of the club. There were lots of players paying their respects.

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“I then thought about my late dad, who was born in a terraced house under the Seven Arches Viaduct in Willington Quay, and then the connections came thick and fast.

“Myself and my sister were born in Willington Quay Maternity Hospital and my very first job was in a clothing factory in the area.

“There were far too many connections not to sponsor the team. Someone, somewhere was giving me a lot of reasons to help the kids.”

Vikki Ford-Henderson – treasurer and lead of the club, and also the daughter of Graham – said the club is delighted with the support from Highlights PR.

She added: “We have a lot of business sponsors and every penny they give goes towards buying kit for the players.”

Related topics:North TynesideMorpethNorth Tyneside Business Forum