CELTIC FC Foundation is delighted to announce that our 2019 Christmas Appeal has been our most successful campaign to date, with a phenomenal total of £310,000 raised.
Once again, the support received throughout the Appeal has been truly astounding and we simply could not have achieved this record-breaking total without the magnificent generosity of so many people including worldwide Celtic supporters, the club, the manager, players, directors, trustees, partners, sponsors and funders.
Proceeds raised have now been distributed, to ensure that your efforts will make a genuine difference to those in need, ahead of Christmas Eve. In summary:
– Glasgow/West of Scotland families with children (£117k)
– Irish families with children (£12k)
– Children (£81.5k)
– Local OAPs (£10k)
– Women’s Aid charities (£20k)
– Homeless, refugees, other vulnerable groups (£69.5k)
As well as direct donations, we held a host of key fundraising initiatives as part of the Appeal:
– Founding Fathers’ Fast on Wednesday, November 6
– eBay Auction 1 from November 12-17
– Celtic Sleep Out, Glasgow on Saturday, November 16
– Light up the Clover on Thursday, November 28
– The Ghirls for Good ladies event on Friday, November 29
– Celtic Sleep Out, London on Saturday, November 30
– eBay Auction from December 5-10
– Our annual bucket collection on Sunday, December 15
– Celtic FC Foundation Letter from Santa
– Star of Glasgow’s Green and White Charity Single and James Forrest biography
The collective backing from the Celtic Family has, as always, been remarkable and has proven that the spirit of Christmas is very much alive. Your support has allowed us to assist a total of 645 families facing poverty and hardship, helping them to enjoy the kind of Christmas that most of us take for granted.
We also helped 100 vulnerable pensioners living on our doorstep, through the provision of Christmas vouchers.
In addition, donations have been made to 27 grassroots organisations which support children, the homeless, those living in refuge, refugees and those facing other challenges primarily in Glasgow and the West, but also in Belfast, Dublin, London and Ottawa.
Through the Appeal, we hosted three Christmas parties at Celtic Park for 923 local children, with the latter two funded by private donors. The children were treated to a Christmas disco, gifts from Santa and special visits from Celtic first team players; Jeremie Frimpong, Leigh Griffiths, Mikey Johnston, Jozo Simunovic, Kristoffer Ajer and Ryan Christie.
As well as financial donations, we also received and passed on over 400 brand new toys and gifts.
Christmas is a time to give and share. And together, the Glasgow Celtic have certainly proved that they will always be there.
A more detailed overview of the 2019 Christmas Appeal can be found HERE
Celtic Chief Executive Peter Lawwell said: “I must extend our thanks to everyone who has contributed this year and ensured that this has been another hugely successful Christmas Appeal. Charity remains at very core of what we do here at Celtic.
“We were delighted to kick off this year’s appeal with a £10,000 donation and the continued commitment from our support, our sponsors, our management and players to back the Appeal in the way they have and provide assistance to those in need, is truly humbling.
“This can be an extremely difficult time of year for so many people and it is therefore crucial that through Celtic FC Foundation, we play our part in making a difference in people’s lives, in whatever way we can. Thanks to the generosity of so many, we have been able to help more people through this year’s Appeal, than ever before.”
Tony Hamilton, Celtic FC Foundation Chief Executive, added: “In such difficult economic times for so many people, it’s amazing that Celtic supporters in various parts of the world have raised this amount of money for our Annual Christmas Appeal.
“My heartfelt thanks to every individual, every supporters’ club, every Club and Foundation partner, every private donor, and all of our colleagues at Celtic Park and Lennoxtown who have made Christmas possible for thousands of children, families and people experiencing severe chaos in their lives.
“While I am very grateful, I am not surprised by this generosity. This is who the Celtic support are, and this is what they do in various ways across the year. This is what ‘Celtic Family’ means. God bless all of you, and I hope you have a very happy and peaceful Christmas.”
