Night of a thousand stars

I was very fortunate to be invited to the annual Nordoff Robbins Football Extravaganza at the Grosvenor Hotel in London on Tuesday evening.

I have to confess that prior to receiving the invitation, I hadn’t known too much about the event or the charity but, after looking into it, I began to appreciate what a remarkable service it provides in the form of musical therapy for people with dementia, mental health problems, behavioural difficulties and autism. Since its foundation in 2002, the charity has been supported by a lot of prominent people in the world of football like Alex Ferguson and Harry Redknapp, who help ensure they get the publicity needed to raise money.

Quite often as a footballer, you get invited to dinners and awards, but to be honest, it’s not really my thing and I usually shy away from it all in favour of an evening on the sofa. This was an exception and, after dusting the cobwebs off the dinner suit and making my way to London, I very quickly became star struck in the presence of so many famous faces from football’s past and present.