Supporters donated £310,000 to the club’s Christmas Appeal.
Celtic fans have been praised for their “magnificent generosity” after the club revealed the results of its most successful Christmas Appeal yet.
Supporters raised a grand total of £310,000 for good causes this year, according to the club’s charity arm, the Celtic FC Foundation.
The money has already been distributed to vulnerable families, homeless people, women’s aid groups, refugees and other people in need over the festive period.
In addition to direct donations, the appeal raised money through initiatives including sleep outs in Glasgow and London, eBay auctions of club memorabilia and sales of James Forrrest’s biography.
In a statement, the Foundation said: “Your support has allowed us to assist a total of 645 families facing poverty and hardship, helping them to enjoy the kind of Christmas that most of us take for granted.
“We also helped 100 vulnerable pensioners living on our doorstep, through the provision of Christmas vouchers.
“In addition, donations have been made to 27 grassroots organisations which support children, the homeless, those living in refuge, refugees and those facing other challenges primarily in Glasgow and the West, but also in Belfast, Dublin, London and Ottawa.”
Tony Hamilton, Celtic FC Foundation chief executive, added: “In such difficult economic times for so many people, it’s amazing that Celtic supporters in various parts of the world have raised this amount of money for our annual Christmas Appeal.
“My heartfelt thanks to every individual, every supporters’ club, every club and foundation partner, every private donor, and all of our colleagues at Celtic Park and Lennoxtown who have made Christmas possible for thousands of children, families and people experiencing severe chaos in their lives.
“While I am very grateful, I am not surprised by this generosity. This is who the Celtic support are, and this is what they do in various ways across the year. This is what ‘Celtic Family’ means. God bless all of you, and I hope you have a very happy and peaceful Christmas."
Celtic chief executive Peter Lawwell thanked those who had donated to the appeal.
He said: “This can be an extremely difficult time of year for so many people and it is therefore crucial that through Celtic FC Foundation, we play our part in making a difference in people’s lives, in whatever way we can. Thanks to the generosity of so many, we have been able to help more people through this year’s appeal, than ever before.”
