Volkswagen retailer Pulman is revving up regional support for Sunderland’s bid to host matches at the 2018 World Cup. Visitors to its Sunderland and Durham sites have been signing special ‘back the bid’ books, and Olympic athlete Steve Cram has even dropped by to encourage people to get behind the campaign.

Steve, Sunderland 2018 bid champion, is a lifelong fan of Sunderland AFC and has just picked up his new Volkswagen Touareg from the Pulman site on Newcastle Road. While …

Students and staff at South Tyneside College have been showing their support for Sunderland’s regional bid to host World Cup matches in 2018 by signing special ‘back the bid’ books.

Karen Redhead, Vice Principal (Curriculum and Quality) at South Tyneside College is delighted to be associated with the bid. She comments:

A successful bid would put the North East on the map, as well as bringing economic benefits and improvements in infrastructure to the region. If successful, our students and staff …

Students from around the globe have given their support to the Sunderland 2018 host city bid on arriving to study at Sunderland University for the new term. Students and staff backed the bid in special signing books throughout freshers’ week to send the message to the England bid team that Sunderland would be a fantastic location to host World Cup football. In total, 10,000 students currently study at Sunderland University, including 2,000 international students from more than 70 …

Tricia Stewart, the originator and driving force behind the world famous Alternative Women’s Institute (WI) Calendar, has offered her support to Sunderland’s campaign to bring World Cup matches to the city in 2018. Tricia is a Sunderland Ambassador and to demonstrate her backing, she has posed with ‘back the bid’ banners preserving her modesty.

Following the death of her friend’s husband in 1998 from non Hodgkin’s Lymphoma, Tricia, a former radiographer from Sunderland, decided to go ahead with the calendar …