Football memorabilia from between 1951 and 1977, including Newcastle United FA Cup Final programmes and tickets, have been donated to raise money to support the work of Live Theatre.
The memorabilia were offered by Frances Griffiths, a theatre-goer, when she read about the proposed reduction in funding to arts organisations in Newcastle. The collection belonged to her father Alan Lyte Kew, a life-long Newcastle United fan and a professional actor who performed in Newcastle at the People's Theatre in the 1930s and with BBC Radio Newcastle.
His collection includes tickets and programmes of FA Cup Finals between 1951 and 1955, and FA Amateur Cup Finals between 1954 to 1959 in four of which Bishop Auckland competed. It also includes Newcastle United Promotional Souvenir programmes such as The Club Romance of Newcastle United Pictorial Souvenir published in 1952. Frances Griffiths said, “My father would be delighted that his life-long support of Newcastle United could help fund theatre in a city in which he was once employed as a professional actor.”
Max Roberts, Artistic Director of Live Theatre said, “This is a kind and generous offer from a Live Theatre attender originally from the North East who wanted to support the theatre when she read about the proposed cuts to arts funding in the national press. We have contacted a number of auction houses and will be looking at the best way sell this collection.”
BBC Look North presenter Jeff Brown, who was invited to look through the football memorabilia added, “It’s a great collection from a real golden era for Newcastle United—and all so lovingly preserved, after all these years. Programmes have always been at the heart of every football fan’s collection, but the ticket stubs and souvenir booklets are really special. I’m sure they’ll go to a good home!”
Frances, who now lives in London, made contact with Live Theatre through writer Michael Chaplin whose writing for Live Theatre including football plays You Could Make it Up and You Really Couldn’t Make It Up and the adaptation of Chris Mullins’ political diaries A Walk On Part.
Anyone interested in the collection of football memorabilia should contact Gillian Firth by 'phoning (0191) 269 3498 or [email protected].