Sunderland’s promotion to the Premier League has meant a significant financial boost to the Beacon of Light
Sunderland’s promotion to the Premier League has delivered a significant financial boost to the club’s award-winning charity arm, with Sir Bob Murray confirming that the Foundation of Light and Beacon of Light will benefit from an initial £300,000 uplift.
In an exclusive interview with The Echo, the former Sunderland chairman revealed that promotion has opened up vital new funding streams that will directly support life-changing work across Wearside. “Sadly, it's needed as much today as it's ever been needed,” Murray said. “We’re getting 7,000 people a week through it. We're doing really well. We’ll get £350,000 more next year because we’re in the Premier League.”
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Even more support could be on the horizon if Sunderland manage to stay in the top flight. “When we stay up, we'll get £500,000 a year extra because we’re promoted,” he explained. “So we’re very grateful for that. But sadly, we've got so much important work to do for people, most of them just need a little help in life and some support around them.”
The Beacon of Light, opened in 2018, is a multi-purpose facility offering education, mental health, sport, and employment programmes. Its impact across the North East has grown rapidly in recent years, and Murray believes the facility holds a unique role in the community. “It’s a really special place,” he said. “I think you’ll share that—when you look at it from the outside, it’s like a big heart inside. It’s better than a hospital. It’s so good for everybody. I’m so pleased.”
For Murray, the Beacon completes what he calls his personal “hat-trick” for the people of Sunderland. “The Stadium, the Academy, and the Beacon, I love all three of them equally,” he said having constructed each facility. “What a lovely time to be.”
Who is Sir Bob Murray and when did he own Sunderland?
Sir Bob Murray is one of the most influential figures in Sunderland’s modern history, having chaired the club for over two decades between 1986 and 2006. Born in County Durham, Murray is a lifelong Sunderland supporter who oversaw some of the club’s most transformative moments, both on and off the pitch.
His tenure included two promotions to the Premier League and the construction of the Stadium of Light in 1997, replacing Roker Park and ushering in a new era for the club. Under his guidance, Sunderland established themselves as a top-flight outfit at the turn of the millennium, recording back-to-back seventh-place finishes under Peter Reid.
Murray also played a pivotal role in the founding of the Foundation of Light, one of the largest football club-affiliated charities in the UK, and later led the creation of the Beacon of Light, a state-of-the-art community hub in Sunderland focused on education, sport, and wellbeing.
He sold the club later to Niall Quinn's Drumaville Consortium in 2006 but was knighted in 2003 for services to education, business, and charity. Murray also helped build England’s training ground, St George’s Park, and played a hand in helping get the new Wembley project off the ground.
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