GROWING up in Saltcoats, Celtic played a huge part in my upbringing. Club greats such as Bobby Lennox and Roy Aitken were both born in the town, but it was Brother Walfrid’s early vision of ensuring that the poor would be fed and looked after that connected with me on a deeper level. 

Celtic FC Foundation continues that vision today and when I decided to take part in this year’s Virtual Cape Town Tour Cycle it was a no brainer to raise funds for the Club’s charitable arm.

I first participated in the cycle when I visited South Africa last year. Cape Town is a fantastic city with great weather and scenery but most of all the people were all so friendly and welcoming. 

I had originally planned on returning this year but that wasn’t possible due to current restrictions. A virtual challenge was set up in its place and I decided to get involved and raise some funds and awareness of the great work that the Foundation is doing.

Having recently relocated back home after nine years living and working in warmer climates, training for this race was a big change, as I found myself dodging tractors, drains and constantly battling the wind and rain. All the hard work paid off though as I completed the 109km cycle on Saturday in just over four hours.

Thanks to the incredible generosity of my family, friends, work colleagues and fellow supporters, I managed to raise in excess of £800 via my Just Giving page, which goes directly to the Foundation.

I’m confident that in Celtic FC Foundation, I have found a charity that I have a strong connection with and can get involved with in the future to make a small difference.

Scott Cassidy, Celtic FC Foundation Fundraiser