LIFE can be tough sometimes and extremely tough at others. For many people it’s never easy at any point and it’s those in that category that Celtic FC Foundation sets out to help first.

Thanks to your mammoth efforts, compassion and kindness we’ve managed to help many vulnerable individuals and families in 2015 but we aim and need to do more of it in the coming 12 months.

Through the past year the Celtic supporters in various parts of the world have provided the charitable arm of the football club with the tools to get out into the community and help those who need it the most.

This has taken many forms. There are refugees at home and abroad who have been helped through your kindness. We’ve done this through the British Red Cross and War Child among others and we’ve purchased an ambulance to deliver emergency medical response to those seeking solace, desperate people trying to make a safe passage across the sea to the Greek Islands.

We’ve worked with school children in Africa with Mary’s Meals, we’ve opened Celtic Park Haiti with CRS in Port-au-Prince and closer to home we’ve worked with many families with young children and vulnerable and excluded pensioners. And we’ve provided a Christmas meal and the means for people to have a proper Christmas with gifts for both the young and the old.

We’ve worked in partnership with various agencies and other NGOs to assist those who are furthest from the job market and closest to poverty, and we’ve enjoyed great success working with those marginalised individuals, as many of them try to rebuild their lives after periods of sickness or incarceration.

We’ve worked in the East End of London with minority groups for another year and we’ve continued our work with CLIC Sargent, paying for a room in the newly opened Glasgow home from home.

In Scotland we’ve grown our Ability Counts project for children and young people who live with Down’s Syndrome with plans to roll it out in Ireland, and we’ve also expanded our partnership with Scottish Disability Sport across the country for young people with complex physical disabilities.

We’ve continued our relationships with the Glasgow Taxi Outing, the Royal Hospital for Sick Children and many charities who look after the vulnerable and homeless like Glasgow City Mission, the Wayside Club and The Invisibles.

And we’ve introduced two projects aimed at families where autism is the dominant factor and we’ll expand on that and roll it out on a much bigger scale in 2016.

None of this is achievable without your support. Without people participating in our sponsored projects, volunteering at fundraisers, buying places at our dinners and events and investing their time, energy and money in us we wouldn’t have helped anyone.

But because of your input we’ve helped thousands of people in 2015.

The same thanks goes to the club’s and Foundation’s corporate partners and sponsors such as Magners, Dafabet, Credit Flip, Phoenix, Intelligent Car Leasing, Stagecoach and many philanthropic individuals across the world as well as funders such as the Big Lottery, Scottish Government, Clyde Gateway, DWP and West of Scotland Housing who have all made investments in us.

And then there’s the supporters’ committee, a group of influential Celtic fans who have helped us spread the word and worked with us in organising and delivering fundraising initiatives.

And of course thanks to the staff, management and directors/trustees across the football club and the Foundation itself.

We have an extraordinary group of people who are committed to making a difference and making our founding father proud of our work nearly 130 years after this club was formed.

And last but by no means least there are our two ambassadors – Martin Perry and Jay Beatty – who we appointed in season 2015/16 and who have taken this message into new places and to new audiences.

Thanks to all of them and a special thanks to you.

Have a very peaceful and happy New Year and we look forward to doing it all again and then some in 2016…