CELTIC FC Foundation’s Christmas Appeal is underway and as part of our 2015 campaign, we’ll be taking a closer look at the charities benefitting from your generosity this festive season.
Continuing with our series, we now look at the work of Glasgow homelessness charity, The Invisibles. We sat down with founder of The Invisibles, Dermot Hill, who spoke passionately about their work and the significance of Celtic FC Foundation support.
Speaking about the formation and remit of The Invisibles, Dermot said: “The Invisibles came about a few years ago from a blog I had written discussing homelessness in Glasgow. Interest from the blog led to a series of meetings and from that we decided we had to raise awareness in Glasgow about homelessness.
“The aim of The Invisibles is collect warm materials for the homeless. Generally, we distribute sleeping bags and other items to other homelessness charities and overnight shelters.
He added: “If individuals can’t get into a shelter at night, then we handover sleeping bags to people who have to sleep outside. Basically, we are trying to keep people warm during the harsh winter as well as raise awareness.”
As a beneficiary of Celtic FC Foundation’s 2014 Christmas Appeal, Dermot is well-aware of the kindness and generosity of the Celtic support as well as the difference your contribution can make.
He said: “The support from Celtic fans is imperative to a group like The Invisibles and their generosity is well-known throughout the world. Last year, the donation that we received from Celtic FC Foundation helped fund our work for another 12 months.
“Again, that all comes down to the generosity of Celtic fans, who through the years have continually donated to any cause that is in keeping with the founding ethos of the football club.”
Celtic FC Foundation’s ‘Sleep Out’ event takes place on Friday, November 14 as a group of participants camp out under the stars at Paradise. As someone who knows all too well about the scourge of homelessness, Dermot was keen to sign up and he had some handy tips for those looking to keep warm during the challenge.
He said: “One of my hobbies is angling and sometimes I’ll have to stay out all night, so I’m fortunate enough to own warm clothes and an appropriate sleeping bag. However, I would advise anyone undertaking the challenge to be aware of sudden changes in temperature.
“The temperature could be fine one minute and then there could be a sudden change during the night and it’s a shock I’ll tell you, so take a flask of hot soup if you can.
On his fundraising efforts, Dermot added: “My fundraising is going well and I’m personally sitting at about £850 at the moment, I’ve just been using Twitter and Facebook to promote it. My target is £1,000 so if I can get it to that amount, I’ll be delighted.”
After the sleep out, participants will have the option to donate their sleeping bags to The Invisibles who will distribute them to the city’s homeless after the event.
The Invisibles are just one of the charities we will be supporting through this year’s Christmas Appeal, along with around 200 local families facing poverty and hardship – to provide a meal on the table and gifts for their children.
In the coming weeks, we will highlight each of the beneficiary charities and the incredible difference your support will make.
Please follow the Celtic Way to help us give back this Christmas.
To get behind the 2015 Christmas Appeal, donations can be made in the following ways:
– Donate by Text – text ‘CELT07’ followed by ‘£1’, ‘£5’ or ‘£10’ to 70070
– Donate Online – HERE
– Donate in Cash – there are collection boxes located in all Celtic Stores
– Donate by Cheque – payable to ‘Celtic FC Foundation’ and sent to Celtic FC Foundation, Celtic Park, Glasgow, G40 3RE.
– Give as You Live via your Christmas shopping – HERE
As part of the Appeal, Celtic FC Foundation are also hosting two fundraising events:
Celtic Sleep Out – Saturday, November 14, 2015
The entry fee is £30 and participants are asked to then raise a minimum of £125 in sponsorship. Further details, including sign-up, are available HERE
Ghirls for Good – Saturday, December 12, 2015
Sponsored by Enchanted Forest and Friends, this ladies lunch event will take place in the Kerrydale Suite at Celtic Park. The afternoon of fabulous festive fun, fizz and frolics will include a delicious Christmas lunch, auction, raffle, live entertainment, a festive DJ and Christmas gift stalls. The cost for a table of 10 is £450 or places can be purchased on an individual basis at £45pp. To make a reservation, please call 0141-551 4262 or email [email protected]
We will also be providing a party for some local primary school children on Wednesday, December 16 in the Kerrydale Suite.
Any donation you make this Christmas will help those who need it most. Thank you for making a difference.
