The Junction in Edinburgh has already raised over £3,000 from an auction of tickets to the film's premiere and Glasgow’s Calton Athletic Recovery Group supplied seven actors for the sequel
Two Scottish charities are to benefit from an online auction of memorabilia from the sequel to the film Trainspotting.
The Junction in Edinburgh and Glasgow’s Calton Athletic Recovery Group will each share the proceeds of the auction that will take place next month to coincide with T2 Trainspotting's US release.
The Junction is a centre that offers access to a wide range of services providing vulnerable young people with the skills to cope, enjoy life and reach their potential – it is based in Leith where much of Trainspotting is set.
Earlier this month two tickets to the Edinburgh premiere of the follow-up film donated by author Irvine Welsh raised £3,000 for the charity, of which Welsh is a patron of.
But its coffers are set to be boosted even further after Welsh invited the film’s producer Andrew MacDonald to visit the centre and learn more about the work of the charity.
MacDonald said: "I was introduced to The Junction by their patron Irvine Welsh last April and was so impressed by what I had seen that when it came to choosing the two beneficiaries of T2 Trainspotting Memorabilia Auction the Junction was an obvious choice.
"It feels really apt to be supporting The Junction in this way as it works with young people to reach their potential on the very streets Trainspotting grew out of."
It’s not known exactly what memorabilia will be on offer or how much it could raise but Sam Anderson, founder and director of the Junction, said the charity is excited about the film.
Staff have been offered some tickets to the premiere, and she said they have all been closely following the development of the sequel due to the ongoing support the charity receives from Welsh, who made a visit to their office last year with Macdonald.
“I am delighted with the support the Trainspotting 2 team have shown us and their recognition of our work within the community," she added.
Meanwhile, Calton Athletic Recovery Group in Glasgow, a drug and alcohol recovery programme, will also benefit from the auction next month.
It became known to the original film’s producers after Ewan McGregor, who plays the lead role of Renton, visited it to learn about the life of a drug addict.
Two of its members appeared as footballers in a scene at the start of the film where McGregor’s character was struck in the face with the ball and the charity is thanked in the closing credits.
It also auctioned of tickets to the premiere earlier this month raising £350 and revealed on a post online that seven of its members were given cameo spots in T2.
Speaking previously about Calton Athletic on a BBC Radio 4 documentary, MacDonald said: “We gave them a portion of the film’s profits, and we still pay that royalty, which they use as they see best.
“Calton Athletic are trying to run something really worthwhile; financially it’s always a problem for them, they just want to help people in this situation.”
