SIR Bobby Robson was on course to help raise thousands of pounds today at a charity golf day.

By Jessica Nicholls

SIR Bobby Robson was on course to help raise thousands of pounds today at a charity golf day.

The former Ipswich and England manager, who now heads Newcastle United joined around 50 other golfers to raise money for new equipment for the consultant he said saved his life.

At Seckford Golf Club, near Woodbridge, Sir Bobby, with his former consultant Huw Davies as caddy, was taking part in a golf day, which included a buffet lunch and gala dinner.

He put his name to the appeal to raise £55,000 for a double headed microscope used in reconstructive oral surgery.

The new machine will allow two people to see what is going on making the long operation quicker and more accurate.

Huw Davies from Ipswich Hospital diagnosed Sir Bobby with a rare form of malignant melanoma inside his nose and upper jaw in 1995, telling him if he were not treated soon he would be dead within six months.

As a thank you, Sir Bobby agreed to put his name to the appeal as well as becoming patron of the hospital's League of Friends who launched the appeal.

He said: "Perhaps through my name there would be more people getting interested in it.

"It is great the amount of support that has been given."

And his newly appointed title is still taking a while to sink in.

He said: "I don't really like people calling me Sir, I was Bobby two months ago and I'm still Bobby now."

After today's Sir Bobby will head back to Newcastle tonight to get his team ready for the Chelsea match in London on Saturday before jetting off to Kiev on Monday for the Champions League match.

But despite his hectic schedule he still had a message to the Ipswich fans at the derby with Norwich on Sunday, predicting Ipswich will win 2-0.

He said: "Just keep going. They have suffered a major disappointment but football is a tough game."