Hearts wore special shirts in memory of Frightened Rabbit singer, and Jambos fan, Scott Hutchison
A football team showed support for male mental health ahead of a crucial match at the weekend.
Hearts took to the Hampden pitch on Saturday (31 October) ahead of Saturday's Scottish Cup semi-final proudly wearing Bands FC's Frightened Rabbit football shirts.
Bearing the name of charity Tiny Changes across the front of the jersey, the Jambos wore the shirts during the warm up ahead of the capital clash with Hibs, and they will now be auctioned off to raise money for the charity.
Tiny Changes was founded in 2019 in memory of Frightened Rabbit frontman Scott Hutchison, who was a life-long supporter of Hearts, and performed “The Hearts Song” at the opening of the new Main Stand at Tynecastle Park in 2017.
Following Scott’s death in May 2018, his close family were determined that something should carry on. Scott was always honest about his own mental health struggles and they felt sure he would want his voice to continue to be heard. This legacy inspired a bold vision; to make young minds feel better, and Tiny Changes was born.
The Bands FC shirts were originally only on sale for a 24-hour period, during which almost £35,000 was raised for Tiny Changes.
Neil Hutchison, a trustee of Tiny Changes, said: “We were so excited when Bands FC decided to produce the Hearts / Frightened Rabbit / Tiny Changes shirt and absolutely blown away by the number of people that bought one. The money raised will make a huge difference to our charity and the work we are doing for young people in Scotland.
"And we were over-the-moon when Robbie Neilson (manager of Hearts) got in touch with his idea for the players to wear the shirt in their warm-up at Hampden. We are just so grateful that the club is helping Tiny Changes to raise awareness of young people’s mental health. Young people in Scotland need our support, now more than ever, so we hope that this amazing gesture will help keep the conversation going and inspire change.
"Thank you so much to Robbie, the players and everyone at Hearts for making this happen.”
Hearts won the match 2-1 after extra time. More information about Tiny Changes can be found online.
