Rangers Community Grants

Two caring Govan groups have been given a welcome injection of cash thanks to Rangers Football Club’s Community Grants Scheme.

St Constantine’s Parish Church has received £3,000 to buy replacement tables for their hall while Govan Care Project was awarded £820 to buy a laptop and accessories.

A special needs group, a pensioners’ group, a karate club and an Irish dancing group are some of the users of the hall.

St Constantine’s would now like to pass on the generosity by offering their fifty café style tables to other charitable organisations.

Cathie McGhee, chairwoman of both St Constantine’s Parish Church group and Govan Care Project said: ‘The tables are very sturdy and have laminate tops. We could split the tables among several groups, the only requirement is they collect them from us. We are ever so grateful to Rangers Community Grants scheme. It was fantastic news that we were to get the funding.’

Govan Care Project has used their new laptop to create a database. The charitable trust helps pensioners in the area so having database information at their fingertips will help them give a much quicker service. ‘We provide information to pensioners – anything from finding out about their pension allowance to setting up wheelchair hire. This new system will make a huge difference,’ said Cathie.

Connal Cochrane, Rangers Charity Foundation Manager told the LOCAL NEWS: ‘The Community Grants Scheme was launched last season and so far has made 15 awards between £500 and £3000 to local groups totalling more than £28,000.’

This year’s allocation has been made but Connal invites local groups within the boundaries of the Govan/Craigton Community Planning Partnership to let him know if they are interested in being included in next year’s awards.

Contact 0141 580 8775 or email: rangerscharity@rangers.co.uk

 

Football Match Closes Refugee Week

One of the 20 teams which took part in the Refugee Week tournament.

Springburn beat Sighthill A team 2-1. But the result was much better than that. For this final game was the clincher in a five-a-side football tournament during Refugee Week.

The event was held at the tennis courts in Kelvingrove Park and 20 teams of school boys from 70 different nations had a great day out despite the heavy rain.

The event brought Refugee week to a close. Organised by Operation Reclaim, it was part of an initiative tackling gang violence and attacks on asylum seekers.

By bringing together local young people with their peers who are asylum seekers and refugees, the football provides opportunities for integration in a fun way. It also reclaimed the local recreation area in Sighthill for children and young people because they played there during the early part of the tournament.

The impact of the programme in the area has been ‘massive’ with police estimating that crime and fear of crime has been cut by more than one third.