St Robert of Newminster pupils plan to reunite - and its alumni includes a Hairy Biker

Dozens of former pupils at a Wearside school have been invited to a reunion and the first details have been shared with the Sunderland Echo.

A diary date of July 3, 2027, has been set for the reunion of pupils from St Robert of Newminster Catholic School, who were the ‘Class of 1978’

A buffet, music and fundraising for the Sir Bobby Robson Foundation will be among the highlights of the event at North Biddick Social Club which runs from 7pm to 11pm.

Heather Scott is one of the organisers, along with Michelle Collier, Catherine Heavisides, Helen Sproul and Diane Smith. She said: “We started at Roberts in 1978, leaving in 1983, 1984 and 1985 depending if you stayed on for sixth form.”

Former pupils at the Washington school included Si King, the TV presenter who was one of the Hairy Bikers.

Another noted almunus was John Lockhart who represented Great Britain in American Football and played the game for 28 years.

Despite best efforts, there are some former pupils that the organisers have not yet tracked down and would love to hear from.

They include Anthony Mills, Gary Hutchinson, Peter Urwin, Simon Toland, Andrew Bowden, Lisa Enright, David Pearson, Patrick Doyle, Michael Green, John English, Terry Neal and Mark Harrison.

They would also like to hear from Kevin McCormack, Michael Barker, Anthony Mills, Darren Vaughn, Neil Burns, Leeann Hall, Theresa Cassidy, Maria Vincent and Paul Comerford.

Tickets are £25 and they are available at https://fave.co/4qWlSNY

In the meantime, take a browse through our gallery of some of the pupils who were a part of those golden years.