Nobby Stiles assists Brighton charity towards goal

World Cup winning football hard man Nobby Stiles showed his softer side by helping a Brighton charity raise £32,000 for sick children.

The former England and Manchester United midfielder was the special guest at a Best of British event in aid of the Rockinghorse Children’s Charity.

More than 400 people attended the event at the Grand Hotel on Brighton seafront on Friday (31 May).

The 1966 World Cup winner was joined by his son, comedian John Stiles, in entertaining the crowd at the charity sporting lunch.

The fundraising activities included a raffle and an auction and among the lots was a 1966 England World Cup shirt signed by nine members of the victorious England team.

Event organiser and Rockinghorse chief executive Ryan Heal said: “We were absolutely delighted to welcome Nobby Stiles to the south coast for the fifth Best of British charity sporting lunch at the Grand Hotel.

“It was a real honour to have the 1966 World Cup winning legend as guest speaker at our event, helping to entertain over 400 people and enabling us to raise a huge amount of money for Rockinghorse which is fantastic news.”

Rockinghorse is the official fundraising arm of the Royal Alexandra Children’s Hospital in Brighton.

It is also a key supporter of the Trevor Mann Baby Unit, which is based at the Royal Sussex County Hospital.