LADY Elsie Robson has spoken of how much she still misses Sir Bobby and how she has found strength in the cancer charity the former England manager set up before his death.

Speaking as the family today marks the 10th anniversary of his death, Lady Elsie said: “We’ve all missed him a great deal and still do. All the family, and his friends of course.

“I’ve found the Sir Bobby Robson Foundation very helpful in that respect. It was something Bob was very passionate about and it’s given us all a focus. For myself especially, because I really do enjoy all the events and the people I meet through the charity.

“Many people are in a similar position to me because of cancer and it’s good to feel part of something so special. I know Bob felt that, too. After he launched the charity, he truly felt like he was a manager again and that he had a job to do.”

She added: “We were married for 54 years and did a lot together. It was sometimes challenging, and we moved house 27 times as football took him around Europe, but it was always interesting.

“And he was very supportive of me and my career, too. It was natural to him that I should want to work and I was a nurse, then a teacher and a small business owner, as well as bringing up the boys.

“Then I suppose we both reached an age when you’re supposed to relax but that wasn’t really in his nature. Even though he was ill, he was determined to set up this charity and he was extremely proud of it.

“It’s amazed me how much we’ve been able to do through the Foundation. The support just hasn’t let up and our medical trustees keep us moving forwards and make sure we’re making the right decisions.

“I’m so grateful to everyone who has continued to fundraise for us and to help find better ways to detect and treat cancer. Bob would be absolutely amazed at everything we’ve done. And he’d want us to keep at it.

“What stands out most to me after 10 years is that the love and respect people have for Bob doesn’t seem to have diminished at all.”

Sir Bobby launched his Foundation in March 2008 after a request for help from his oncologist, Professor Ruth Plummer.

The initial fundraising target, £500,000, was needed to equip a new cancer drug trials centre and was reached in just eight weeks.

When he presented Professor Plummer with that first cheque, Sir Bobby said: “I’ve achieved many things during my career in football, won trophies, represented my country, received all kinds of wonderful awards and even been knighted, but I’m as proud of this achievement as I am of any other in my life.”

The Sir Bobby Robson Foundation has now raised over £13.5 million to help find more effective ways to detect and treat cancer - £12.2m of that total raised since Sir Bobby died.

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