Today, we continue our spotlight series, highlighting the partners who will benefit from your generosity through this year’s Christmas Appeal phase of the Football for Good Fund. And in a week in which the footballing world mourns the loss of the legendary Bertie Auld, our next partner beneficiary is fittingly an organisation which was close to Bertie’s heart and also has a firm bond with Celtic Football Club – St Roch’s FC Foundation.

Many Celtic fans have a strong affiliation with junior side St Roch’s, who are based in Royston (Garngad), and whose park is named after Celtic and St Roch’s legend, Jimmy McGrory. With a wide-reaching fan base and a community ethos matching that of Celtic FC Foundation, St Roch’s have attracted interest from far and wide. One of their biggest fans was our very own Bertie Auld, who aptly held the number 67 Season ticket.

St Roch’s FC Foundation, the charitable arm of the football club, have previously benefited from support through the Foundation’s Christmas Appeal, to help host Christmas lunches for local pensioners, as well those who are affected by homelessness.

Further support through the Football for Good Fund during the pandemic helped St Roch’s FC Foundation to develop their mental health programme ‘Roch Talk’, which is a support group for all ages, as well as the organisation’s Befriending Service, which aimed to support older adults over the age of 55, reducing loneliness and isolation across Glasgow.

Known as “The Candy”, St Roch’s local community are as much a part of the club as the footballers on the park. As the great Bertie Auld once said during a colourful guest team talk before a vital St Roch’s match: “The Candy – it’s a way of life”.

This Christmas, St Roch’s FC Foundation will be gathering together those within their community, hosting Christmas lunches, inviting the elderly and the vulnerable from the Garngad and across the local area. Working closely with local homeless organisation, The Wayside Club, these lunches will form a major part of the St Roch’s Christmas initiative.

Andy Cameron, St Roch’s FC President said: “In this sad week for both clubs, we are honoured to be announced as a beneficiary of Celtic FC Foundation’s Christmas Appeal, which will allow us to work closely with partners and locals. The Candy is honoured to be associated with the Foundation and hope we can help to carry on their aims through the work we do each year.”

St Roch’s FC also lost a significant member of their football family earlier this month in their manager, Paul Kelly, and Andy knows that the focus on and off the pitch is about continuing the good work that has gone before.

Andy continued to speak about St Roch’s FC Foundation’s further aspirations this Christmas, adding: “We will be working with our fans to identify families to whom we can ‘give Christmas’. This will mean providing them with the resources and money to have a family dinner, as well as support the parents and carers to get some gifts for the kids.”

St Roch’s joins The Invisibles, as well as Woman’s Aid in Dublin and Women’s Aid Belfast and Lisburn, as this year’s Christmas Appeal beneficiaries announced thus far.

Through the Appeal we want to give hundreds of families in our communities the Christmas they deserve, making sure there’s food on the table and gifts under the tree.

We also wish to help pensioners, women and children in refuge, the homeless community and refugees – as well as a whole host of others facing poverty and hardship.

Charity, and the generosity and compassion of the Celtic Family, will always be our past, present and future – it’s our heritage, our responsibility, our lifeblood.

Please join Celtic FC Foundation in making a difference this Christmas – it’s our reason for being.

The key ways to get behind the Christmas Appeal 2021, include:

1. Donate by text – text ‘CELTIC’ followed by ‘£1’, ‘£5’ or ‘£10’ to 70085*
2. Donate online HERE
3. Donate via PayPal HERE
4. Donate via Facebook HERE
5. Donate in Cash – there are collection boxes located in all Celtic Stores
6. Donate by Cheque – payable to ‘Celtic FC Foundation’ and sent to Celtic FC Foundation, Celtic Park, Glasgow G40 3RE.
7. Provide support through your Christmas shopping via Give as you Live and AmazonSmile HERE
8. Make a donation to receive your ‘Celtic FC Foundation Letter from Santa’ HERE
9. Purchase our brand new Foundation T-shirt HERE
10. Come along to Ghirls for Good on Friday, November 26 HERE
11. Sign up for the Celtic Sleep Out, London on Friday, December 3 HERE
12. Support our Light Up the Clover initiative on Thursday, December 9 or matchday bucket collection on Sunday, December 12 – to register as a volunteer collector, call 0141 551 4204 or email [email protected]
13. Enter our new Christmas Appeal Prize Draw – further details to follow.

Thank you for your magnificent support.

*Texts will cost the donation amount, plus one standard rate message.