CELTIC FC Foundation, the charitable arm of Celtic Football Club, today presented a donation of £10,000 to the work of charity Poppyscotland.

The club is pleased to continue its support of the charity, which it has backed for a number of years through substantial financial support.

The club’s donation will be used primarily to support Poppyscotland’s education project called ‘Sowing the Poppy Seed’ which takes the form of an Internet-based project, available to all schools in Scotland. 

The project focuses on the key question ‘Why is it important to remember?’ and looks at how conflict arises and the effects that conflict has on communities.   

Celtic players today presented the donation to Fraser Bedwell of Poppyscotland and were also joined by a special guest in Mr Joseph Dodds, the grandson of Celtic great, Joe Dodds who served in the First World War.   

Born in 1887, Joe made his debut for Celtic in 1908 and played 378 games for the club in two spells at Celtic Park. He is regarded as one of the best and fastest defenders the club has ever produced and it is said that there is nowhere of an account of him having had a bad game for Celtic.  

Joe was part of a Celtic defence which was thought of as possibly the best in the UK at the time, helping create the foundations upon which Celtic dominated Scottish football in that era. 

As The Great War intervened, Joe served on the front line in France, after which he returned to Celtic for a second time.   Between 1908 and 1920 he collected seven league titles and three Scottish Cup winner’s medals and added a further league title medal with Celtic in his last season.

Colin Flinn, Head of Fundraising for Poppyscotland, said:  “Poppyscotland is delighted to receive such generous support once again from the Celtic FC Foundation.

“This will help us to further develop our important and popular education programme, Sowing the Poppy Seed, which is delivered in schools throughout Scotland.”

Celtic Chief Executive Peter Lawwell said: “Celtic Football Club is delighted, once again, to continue its support of Poppyscotland.

“As we approach Remembrance Sunday it is important that we take time to remember the victims on all sides of all conflicts across the globe. We are again pleased to become involved with the educational programme which educates children as to why it is so important to remember.”