NEWCASTLE United legend Alan Shearer hopes to raise £250,000 a year to help disabled people across the North-East.

The former striker yesterday (thurs) launched his Alan Shearer Foundation to support the work of St Cuthbert’s Care, a Tyneside charity he has given £320,000 since he retired in 2006.

The charity, at West Denton, Newcastle, provides residential care for children, fostering, provision for people with profound disabilities and care for older people,.

Shearer, 41, was joined at the launch by Ant and Dec, and fellow charity patrons.

Shearer said: "Working alongside St Cuthberts Care during these past five years, I have witnessed first-hand the desperate plight of many families caring for severely disabled children and adults.

"These families face enduring, emotional, exhausting and financial challenges every day and I just felt I had to do more.

"I hope my foundation will help to ease some of these difficulties."

Last year the Alan Shearer Activity Centre at St Cuthberts Care offered its facilities to disabled people for free and the Short Break Centre carrying Shearer’s name gave over £150,000-worth of free short breaks to people with complex disabilities.

"Since opening, these two centres have gone from strength to strength making a huge difference to thousands of disabled people’s lives," Newcastle's record goalscorer said.

"This is why I feel compelled to launch my own foundation, to raise money to remove financial barriers and to help to continue to make lives easier for those with profound disabilities."

Foundation’s funding will enable St Cuthberts Care to expand its services and extend its reach across the whole of the region.

Austin Donohoe, St Cuthberts Care’s chief executive, said: "Alan’s continuing endorsement of our services for children and young adults with disabilities is immeasurable.

"His support of the charity to date has been resolute and his foundation is the icing on the cake.

"It will enable us to continue to offer free and heavily subsidised facilities but it will also allow us to broaden the scope of our disability provision right across our region, helping even more people with disabilities."

The foundation will stage three fund-raising events every year, Shearer is urging the people to back the foundation by raising money for it in the Great North Run.