Following a joint campaign with the Football Club to ‘Share the Magic’ this festive season, Celtic FC Foundation are delighted to announce that our 2022 Christmas Appeal is our most successful to date, raising a phenomenal £385,000.
The impact of the COVID pandemic, swiftly followed by a crushing cost of living crisis, means that the Appeal has been more important this year than ever before.
In a period where so many of you have been impacted financially, the support we have received for the Foundation’s Annual Christmas Appeal has been outstanding, inspirational and humbling.
We simply could not have achieved this incredible total without the magnificent generosity of so many people including worldwide Celtic supporters, the Club and its staff, 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:
- £167,000: Glasgow and the West families with children
- £16,000: Irish families with children
- £5,000: Sydney families with children
- £12,500: Gifts/Pantomime/Party for Glasgow children
- £32,000: Local OAPs
- £71,000: Children/Families charity beneficiaries
- £18,000: Women’s Aid charity beneficiaries
- £43,500: Homeless charity beneficiaries
- £20,000: Refugee charity beneficiaries
As well as an outstanding level of direct donations received, we held a number of key fundraising initiatives as part of the Appeal:
- Walfrid’s Wishlist, courtesy of the Club – duration of Appeal
- MatchWornShirt Auction – November 5-13, 2022
- Founding Fathers’ Fast – Sunday, November 6, 2022
- Love Unites Jerseys – Thursday November 10, 2022
- Matchday Bucket Collection – Saturday, November 12, 2022
- Celtic Sleep Out, Glasgow – Saturday, November 19, 2022
- Prize Draw – November 24 – December 19, 2022
- Ghirls for Good – Friday, November 25, 2022
- New Foundation T-Shirt – Monday, November 28, 2022 – present
- Celtic Sleep Out, Donegal – Saturday, December 3, 2022
- eBay Auction – December 6-11, 2022
- The Santa Stroll – Saturday, December 10, 2022
- Celtic Sleep Out, London – Saturday, December 10, 2022
Your support has allowed us to assist a total of 987 families facing poverty and hardship, helping them to enjoy the kind of Christmas that most of us take for granted, with food on the table and gifts under the tree.
We also helped 428 vulnerable pensioners living on our doorstep, through the provision of Christmas vouchers or a hot meal.
We supported 844 children directly – 202 attended a P5 Christmas party at Celtic Park, 322 received a gift or a trip to the pantomime through our Schools Project, and 320 were gifted toys, courtesy of our guests at Ghirls for Good.
We also hosted a festive lunch for 120 of our friends from Simon Community Scotland in the Kerrydale Suite.
In addition, donations have been made to 32 grassroots organisations who support children, woman and children in refuge, the homeless and refugees, primarily in Glasgow and the West, but also in Belfast, Dublin, Donegal, London, Newcastle, Oban and Ottawa.
As Billy McNeill once famously said: “There’s a fairytale about this Club” and you have beautifully Shared that Magic this Christmas with those who need it most.
A more detailed overview of the 2022 Christmas Appeal can be found HERE.
Celtic FC Chief Executive, Michael Nicholson said: “The work of the Foundation is fundamental to Celtic’s ethos, and continues to make such a meaningful and positive difference to the lives of so many.
“Everyone at the Club is delighted to have supported this year’s fantastic Christmas Appeal. It has delivered great results once more, which will ultimately see thousands of very deserving people receiving important care and support.
“I would like to thank everyone involved for their magnificent backing – all our supporters, colleagues, Foundation staff, Management and players, who have all done so much to make this year’s Appeal such a phenomenal success.”
Tony Hamilton, Celtic FC Foundation Chief Executive, added: “Against a backdrop of a current cost of living crisis, the total raised by our supporters is absolutely phenomenal.
“Despite their own financial challenges, they have stepped up yet again, to help the most vulnerable in our communities.
“My heartfelt thanks go to every individual, every supporters’ club, every Club and Foundation partner, every private donor, every funder, every event sponsor, and all of our colleagues at Celtic Park and Lennoxtown who have Shared the Magic of Christmas with so many children, families and individuals who were in desperate need of assistance and compassion.
“The fact we have achieved our highest ever total is absolutely incredible, but I’m not surprised the Celtic family has gone above and beyond, yet again.
“This is why we were here 135 year ago, and it’s who we still are today. God bless all of you, and I hope you have a very happy and peaceful Christmas.”
