OUR Christmas Appeal has once again received outstanding backing from the Celtic support but we still need your help as we approach the climax of the appeal. Today, we continue our spotlight series on the organisations which will benefit from the generosity of the Celtic Family this Christmas, with a closer look at Glasgow Night Shelter.

Glasgow Night Shelter provides the city's only emergency shelter available to destitute asylum seeker men, who cannot access statutory homelessness services due to their immigration status. The shelter is open from 8pm to 9.30am, 365 nights a year, offering a warm, safe place to stay and a nourishing hot evening meal, plus breakfast - to some of the most vulnerable and desperate people in Glasgow.

Through the shelter, guests also have the opportunity to be linked in with a number of services offered by other partners in the city, including advocacy, advice on health and lifestyle, language classes and enrichment activities.

Support received through Celtic FC Foundation’s 2018 Appeal allowed Glasgow Night Shelter to extend its opening hours over the festive period, to accommodate guests during the daytime, providing meals, activities and companionship on Christmas Day and Hogmanay.

Annika Joy of Glasgow Night Shelter, highlighted the harsh reality for many asylum seekers living on Glasgow’s streets throughout the winter period, saying: “In a cold and unfamiliar city, Christmas can be a particularly dark, frightening and isolating time.

“Throughout the rest of the year, our guests depend on Glasgow’s public buildings during the daytime hours to provide shelter, warmth, connection, social interaction, and activities. But when those buildings are closed for Christmas and New Year, guests have nowhere to go, very little to do, and often very little to eat.

“The pressures on our service this winter are particularly severe. Hundreds of asylum seekers in Glasgow are now facing imminent eviction from their temporary accommodation; without family networks or friends with spare bedrooms, they have no other options. Any donation from Celtic FC Foundation will enable the shelter to support a greater number of people, for longer periods of the day during the festive period.

“Glasgow Night Shelter is enormously appreciative that Celtic FC Foundation has, in the past, chosen to recognise the urgent and vital need for this service, and to support some of the most marginalised and vulnerable people in Glasgow. The people who come to the shelter have no opportunity to access public funds, nor do they have the right to work and earn money here. Without grant funding and generous donations such as this one, this service to them could not exist.

“At Glasgow Night Shelter, we want to offer our guests a warmer, safer, friendlier, healthier and happier Christmas and New Year than we’ve ever been able to before. We’d like to thank Celtic FC Foundation and the club's amazing supporters for considering us again this year. Our guests are very grateful.”

Glasgow Night Shelter joins Loaves and Fishes, The Invisibles, Glasgow East Women’s Aid, St Roch’s FC Foundation, Elpis Centre, the Salvation Army Parkhead, St Anne’s Primary School, St Anne’s Church, the Cardinal Hume Centre, Simon Community Scotland and Spirit Aid as this year’s appeal beneficiaries announced thus far.

Our Appeal aims to honour the founding principles set out when the club was formed back in 1887, by continuing to help those in our community, who are most in need. We want to help hundreds of local families facing poverty by giving them the kind of Christmas most of us take for granted.

We also want to support pensioners on our doorstep and help out local charities. We can make a massive difference to the lives of children, the homeless, refugees and those living in refuge or facing other challenges.

Christmas is a time to give and share. And the Glasgow Celtic will be there.

To get behind the Christmas Appeal 2019, you can:

1.Donate by Text – text ‘CELTIC’ followed by ‘£1’, ‘£5’ or ‘£10’ to 70085*

2.Donate Online

3.Donate via PayPal – www.CelticChristmasAppeal.com

4.Donate in Cash – there are collection boxes located in all Celtic Stores

5.Donate by Cheque – payable to ‘Celtic FC Foundation’ and sent to Celtic FC Foundation, Celtic Park, Glasgow G40 3RE.

6.Provide support through your Christmas shopping via Give as you Live and Amazon Smile – http://www.celticfc.net/news/17086

7.Contribute via our Christmas Appeal eBay auction which is now live and will close on Tuesday, December 10 around 7pm

8. Make a donation to receive your ‘Celtic FC Foundation Letter from Santa’ – http://www.celticfc.net/news/17114

9.Support our match-day bucket collection on Sunday, December 15 – http://www.celticfc.net/news/17171

10.Purchase the original song from this year’s Celtic Christmas advert, ‘Star Of Glasgow's Green & White’ HERE. Proceeds will support our 2019 Appeal.

Thank you for your magnificent support.

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

Foundation Christmas Appeal beneficiary: Glasgow Night Shelter