On Friday, 13 November, North Kildare CSC members Michael, Abbie and Stephen will be swapping the comfort of their beds for a night outdoors as they take part in the Celtic FC Foundation Sleep Out in Graiguecullen, County Carlow.

Charity has been at the heart of Celtic since the very beginning. The Club was founded in 1887 by Brother Walfrid, with the purpose of raising funds to help alleviate poverty among Glasgow’s Irish immigrant community. Almost 140 years later, those values remain at the heart of Celtic through the work of Celtic FC Foundation.

The Foundation does incredible work supporting some of the most vulnerable people in our communities, including people experiencing homelessness, families facing poverty, pensioners, women and children in refuge and refugees.

And the money raised through the Irish Sleep Out makes a real difference here at home.

The previous Celtic Sleep Out in Ireland was held at the Carlisle Grounds in Bray, where 24 participants braved the cold overnight. The fundraising campaign was supported by 335 donors and raised £11,007, with Celtic FC Foundation reporting a net total in the region of €13,000.

The proceeds were focused primarily on supporting people in Ireland, including Wicklow Homeless Five Loaves, which provides vital support to people experiencing homelessness, and Arklow Community Action Resource Centre.

The wider work of Celtic FC Foundation continues to make a huge impact. Last year, its Christmas Appeal raised and distributed a record £425,000, including £47,000 for homeless charity beneficiaries, £21,000 to support Irish Women’s Aid families and £20,000 for refugee charity beneficiaries.

So, on November 13, Michael, Abbie and Stephen will spend the night outdoors to raise as much as possible for this fantastic cause.

For North Kildare CSC, it is also about playing our small part in continuing the charitable tradition on which Celtic was founded — helping those who need it most and keeping alive the values established by Brother Walfrid all those years ago.

Every donation, no matter how big or small, can make a difference.

If you can, please support Michael, Abbie and Stephen and help North Kildare CSC raise as much as possible for Celtic FC Foundation.

Thank you for your support.

Hail Hail 🍀