Beacon of Light Appoints PHAR Insight

PHAR Insight has been appointed by the Foundation of Light – the registered charity of Sunderland Football Club – to analyse opportunities for sponsorship for the proposed new Beacon of Light facility, a new education and sports facility which aims to use the power of football to inspire people and change lives. It will help people gain skills and qualifications, work with families and re-energise communities.

The centre is the first of its kind in the UK and will include engaging and interactive zones in education; health and fitness; sport and play; and the world of work and will welcome hundreds of thousands of children, young people and adults through its doors every year. Due to open its doors in 2017, the Beacon of Light will be a three-storey flagship development situated adjacent to the Stadium of Light.  Its aim is to provide an inspiring education, training and sports facility for the community of Sunderland and wider northeast region.

Chair of Trustees of the Foundation of Light Sir Bob Murray, commented: “The Foundation of Light already uses the power of football to involve, educate and inspire more than 42,000 young people and their families each year through a broad range of innovative and award-winning programmes. The Beacon of Light will help us extend our reach and expand our pioneering programmes to reach an even bigger audience.”

Alastair Macdonald, Director of PHAR Insight, said: “Seeing at first hand the difference that the Foundation of Light’s work makes to people’s lives is genuinely inspiring and humbling.  The Beacon of Light will not only be a hugely important new community asset but is also, in its own right, a genuinely valuable sponsorship opportunity, offering a strong range of valuable marketing benefits.  Our analysis has revealed how a number of genuinely attractive partnerships may be structured, enabling brands to make a real contribution to the North East community and realise some real marketing value.”