THE 28th Northern FWA Managers' Awards Dinner was a significant occasion in the association's history, as the £80,000 barrier was cracked for children's charities.

The raffle and auction at the function, held at Manchester's Radisson Edwardian Hotel on November 14, raised £4,500 with The Seashell Trust - formlery the Royal Schools for the Blind - and Friends of Muscular Dystrophy the two charities to benefit this year.

So we have now raised almost £81,000 for children's causes.

Manchester United manager Sir Alex Ferguson, usually a regular attender of FWA functions, pulled out two days before the event, owing to a business trip to Qatar.

But all the other award-winning managers were present - Newcastle's Chris Hughton, Blackpool's Ian Holloway, Simon Grayson at Leeds, Rochdale's Keith Hill, Ian Chandler from Whitley Bay, the Barrow double act of David Bayliss and Darren Sheridan and Mo Marley of Everton Ladies.

Richard Bevan, Chief Executive of the League Managers' Association, congratulated northern chairman Paul Hetherington and national chairman Steve Bates, on the event.

Bevan said: "Reading the programme, going back to past winners like Bob Paisley, Joe Fagan, Trevor Cherry and Kenny Dalglish, it was great to read the history of the awards and to join you for the event.

"I thoroughly enjoyed the evening and was honoured to sit at the FWA top table."