AS we celebrated the 50th Anniversary of Celtic’s most famous victory, May 2017 witnessed what can only be described as a Celtic phenomenon, with the Celtic Family coming together, across a range of events to make a positive difference to the lives of others.
Celtic FC Foundation is delighted today to announce that, following these efforts and through the #LionsLegacy campaign, a magnificent total of £2MILLION has been raised to support projects across the UK and beyond.
Celtic’s greatest ever team celebrated their 50-year anniversary with fans and many other contributors from all over the world at a variety of events last month. These included a special Mass at St Mary’s Church in Glasgow, the Celebrate ’67 extravaganza at the SSE Hydro, an emotional Scottish Cup Final, the Henrik’s Henroes versus Lubo Legends’ match and fantastically-attended charity dinners in both Glasgow and London to top it all off.
Separately, Celtic Supporters’ Clubs and other groups of fans organised a range of other events and fundraisers for the Club’s #LionsLegacy fundraising campaign. Over 70,000 Celtic fans participated in these celebrations, all benefitting Celtic FC Foundation.
The incredible generosity and compassion shown by all those who supported this campaign is truly humbling and we will forever be grateful to so many people for the time and talent given in support of our objectives. This campaign has been ‘Football for Good’ in action.
Celtic FC Foundation is hugely appreciative of these efforts and we will now harness this good will and support and deliver a range of projects worthy of the Lisbon Lions and the Club’s heritage and charitable traditions.
Speaking on such a fantastic outcome, Celtic Chief Executive, Peter Lawwell, said: “We wanted to do something special to mark this very special year and we think we have achieved this.
“I am very proud of the Celtic supporters and so many other groups and individuals for their magnificent generosity in reaching such a milestone. So many people at home and abroad will now benefit positively from these great efforts.
“It is often said that Celtic is a club like no other and this is the best example of that.
“I would also like to offer a heartfelt thank you to the Lisbon Lions who have worked tirelessly and have been magnificent ambassadors for our great Club for more than 50 years.
“We thank the supporters of many other football clubs and sporting organisations around the world who have attended events, made donations and supported the 50th anniversary celebrations in so many ways.
“I would also pay tribute to all of the Celtic staff who worked tirelessly on our charity events, well beyond their other work commitments in the busy end-of-season period, all with the aim of making a difference to people in need.”
Dementia Care
We are developing a series of projects that will support people suffering from dementia, as well as their families and carers – a cause close to the Lions’ hearts.
67 Kitchens
In partnership with Mary’s Meals, we will build 67 school kitchens in countries where extreme poverty is a major barrier to education for millions of children.
Ability Counts
We will increase the capacity and delivery of both strands – Down’s Syndrome and Autism – of our Award Winning Ability Counts projects.
The Forgotten Irish
We will work with the Ireland Fund of Great Britain through the Forgotten Irish campaign to invest in local programmes to provide support for elderly people who have given so much back but who now face great struggles in their own day-to-day lives.
Breaking Barriers, East London
We will continue to deliver year-round programmes of sports and arts activities in the evening, weekends and holiday periods for 13–19 year olds, coupled with personal and social development.
Celtic FC Foundation Chief Executive, Tony Hamilton, said: “Once again the Celtic support across the world have responded magnificently. We applaud each and every one of them for their support for #LionsLegacy. We are also proud to have had the assistance of many artists, musicians and photographers, who have given us their services free of charge.
“The proceeds from the #LionsLegacy fundraising campaign will make a significant difference to people’s lives and we will continually update everyone of our plans as we begin this work.
“The Lisbon Lions themselves were at the forefront of this campaign and, in time, the life-changing work which will flow from the proceeds of this fundraising will become a fitting part of the legacy of these great men.”
Celtic FC Foundation thanks Watches of Switzerland, Dafabet, Cantrell & Cochrane, Utilita, Wm Grant Foundation, David Yarrow, Gerard Burns, Creditfix, Intelligent Car Leasing, You-Are-The-Ref.Com, Rod Stewart, Simple Minds, Susan Boyle, Henrik Larsson, Lubo Moravcik, Fredide Cowan, Nick Haddow, The Lisbon Lions London Dinner Committee, Mappin & Webb, Elaine C Smith and Eddie Jordan for their magnificent support for #Lions Legacy.
