A charity set up in memory of popular local businessman Gus Robinson more than a decade ago has officially handed over the baton to another like-minded organisation in Hartlepool.
Twelve years after the Gus Robinson Foundation was founded, the late Gus’ wife Judith has signed an agreement that sees it become part of the wider and larger PFC Trust family from April 6th 2023,
Even though the Foundation will no longer exist, the PFC Trust, founded by Frances and Patrick Connolly following their EuroMillions win in 2019, will now carry on its good name across the town and surrounding area through the newly-created Gus Robinson Grant.
That grant will look to help young people achieve their goals through sport and education, something Gus was extremely passionate about himself.
Trustees of the Gus Robinson Foundation have also been invited to the PFC Trust’s annual Green and Blue Ball on April 15 at Hartlepool College of Further Education to celebrate this exciting new future.
An emotional Judith, now Stannard, said: “We have run this charity as a small group of people, raising money through our own annual balls, and the time has come to move on and for someone else to take over.
“We knew we needed somebody bigger with a similar outlook and I know this is the right organisation to take it forward.
“The PFC Trust wants to help young people in sport and other areas. Gus would be delighted, and he will always be remembered with a Fund in his name and this Gus Robinson Centre we sit in now.
“There has been something every year that means he has not been forgotten and this year this merger means the Gus Robinson Foundation will lead to bigger and better things.”
The Gus Robinson Centre, formerly the Throston Youth Project, Wiltshire Way, has already had improvements carried out and in the coming months Frances and the PFC Trust will be driving forward to make more.
Despite incredible successes over the last 12 years as the Gus Robinson Foundation, its trustees were keen for the PFC Trust to bring a fresh approach for the longer term.
The Foundation’s former trustee George Stannard has also become a trustee of the Trust.
Frances said: “We are very proud, and we sincerely hope we carry on the legacy Judith and the Foundation’s team have left.
“For the last three years the PFC Trust has worked extremely hard with the Gus Robinson Foundation, at events such as Hartlepool Heroes, among other things.
“We have become close friends and we have realised our objectives are similar. We have reached this key point and the Gus Robinson Foundation felt it was right to merge into an organisation doing so much good already for the town.”
The Gus Robinson Foundation has supported people in Hartlepool since 2011 in sport, education and business endeavours.
It has funded Hartlepool College’s scholarship programme for the last ten years and was a headline sponsor for the Hartlepool Sports’ Awards and the Hartlepool Business Awards. In recent years it has done many good things in partnership with the PFC Trust.
The late Gus Robinson MBE founded Hartlepool construction company Gus Robinson developments in the early 1970s. He was also well known as a boxing promoter and he stood for the Conservative party against Peter Mandelson in the 2001 General Election.
