Celtic FC Foundation are delighted to confirm that our 2023 Christmas Appeal has been the most successful to date, raising and distributing an incredible £397,000.

The cost of living crisis has continued to have a crippling effect on so many families and individuals within our communities, so this year’s Appeal has been just as crucial as ever before, if not even more so.

Once again, our Appeal was part of a joint campaign with the Football Club, as we humbly encouraged supporters to ‘Light Up Someone’s Christmas’ this festive season.

And, in a period when so many supporters continue to be personally impacted financially, the backing we have received for the Appeal from the Celtic family has yet again been truly outstanding, inspirational and humbling. As always, you have selflessly stepped up when others have needed your help most.

We simply could not have achieved this incredible outcome without the magnificent generosity of so many people including worldwide Celtic supporters, the Club and its staff, the manager, players, directors, trustees, partners, sponsors and funders.

Monies raised have now been distributed to ensure that your efforts will make a genuine difference to those in need, ahead of Christmas Eve. In summary, together, we have contributed:

£185,500: Glasgow and the West families with children
£16,000: Irish families with children
£16,000: Gifts/Festive outings/Parties for Glasgow children
£33,000: Local OAPs and other vulnerable individuals
£65,000: Children/Families charity beneficiaries
£17,000: Women’s Aid charity beneficiaries
£44,500: Homeless charity beneficiaries
£20,000: Refugee charity beneficiaries

This will include a very special Christmas Day with our Paradise Pit Stop project as the Kerrydale Suite will open its doors between 12noon and 2pm, and we will welcome around 200 guests for a three-course Christmas dinner, entertainment and a visit from Santa!

As well as an outstanding level of direct donations received, we held a number of key fundraising initiatives as part of the Appeal, including:

Walfrid’s Wishlist, courtesy of the Club – duration of Appeal
MatchWornShirt Auction – November 4-18, 2023
Founding Fathers’ Fast – Monday, November 6, 2023
Virtual Christmas Tree – Tuesday, November 7 - present
Celtic Sleep Out, Derry – Friday, November 17, 2023
Celtic Sleep Out, Glasgow – Saturday, November 18, 2023
Prize Draw – November 20 – December 20, 2023
New Foundation T-Shirt – Wednesday, November 22, 2023 – present
Ghirls for Good – Friday, November 24, 2023
Matchday Bucket Collection – Saturday, November 25, 2023
eBay Auction – December 1–8, 2023
Virtual Advent Calendar – December 1–24, 2023
Celtic Sleep Out, London – Saturday, December 2, 2023
The Santa Stroll – Sunday, December 17, 2023

Your magnificent support has allowed us to assist a total of 1,038 families facing poverty and hardship, helping them to enjoy the kind of Christmas that many of us take for granted, with food on the table and gifts for the children.

We also helped 448 local pensioners and other vulnerable individuals, through the provision of Christmas vouchers, Christmas hampers or a hot meal.

We supported 1,069 Glasgow children directly – 207 attended a P5 Christmas party at Celtic Park, 482 received either a special Christmas gift, a fun festive outing or a Christmas party through our Schools Project and 380 were gifted toys, courtesy of our guests at Ghirls for Good.

We also hosted a festive lunch for around 200 of our friends from Simon Community Scotland in the Kerrydale Suite.

In addition, donations have been made to 31 grassroots organisations who support children, women and children in refuge, the homeless community and refugees, primarily in Glasgow and the West, but also in Belfast, Dublin, Derry, London, Newcastle, Oban and Ottawa.

With your outstanding support, we have been able to light up the lives of so many this Christmas.

A more detailed overview of the 2023 Christmas Appeal can be found HERE.

Tony Hamilton, Celtic FC Foundation Chief Executive, said: “To achieve our most successful Christmas Appeal to date, against the most challenging of financial backdrops, is a truly remarkable outcome and we’re totally overwhelmed by the outstanding compassion and generosity of so many people.

“Without fail, our supporters get behind us year on year and I would like to extend my sincere thanks to each and every individual, supporters’ group, Club and Foundation partner, private donor, funder and event sponsor, each of whom has contributed to making this campaign such a success. I would also like to thank our colleagues at the Club for their continued support of our Appeal efforts.

“In being able to provide support to those most in need, to the value of £397,000, there will be so many children, families and individuals, whose Christmas will be that little bit more comfortable this year.

“We wish you all a very happy Christmas and thank you once again for making a difference to so many lives this festive season.”

Celtic FC Chief Executive, Michael Nicholson, added: “It’s absolutely tremendous to see the incredible impact of the Foundation’s Christmas Appeal.

"This Club was founded as a means to support those most in need 136 years ago and, through the Foundation, this is still very much who we are today.

“The Foundation’s work is at the core of what we do and everyone at the Club is extremely proud of this magnificent achievement, which will ultimately help thousands of people, at what can be an extremely challenging time of year.

“On behalf of the Club, I would like to express our thanks to everyone involved and to all of those who’ve contributed – all of our supporters, colleagues, Foundation staff, Football Management and players. Thank you for your ongoing support for Celtic FC Foundation, and best wishes for Christmas to you and your families.”

Celtic FC Foundation Christmas Appeal raises astounding total of £397K