Celtic help fund cross-community children's project

A Belfast-based organisation which aims to break down the sectarian divide has received a cash boost from one of Scotland’s Old Firm footballing giants, it emerged today.

Celtic Football Club, whose manager Martin O’Neill hails from Kilrea in Northern Ireland, donated £3,000 (€4,300) to NICHS which encourages Protestant and Catholic teenagers to work together on projects and also forge close friendships across the Irish border.

Jackie Chalk, director of NICHS, welcomed the donation from Celtic’s charity fund.

“NICHS recognises the important contribution Celtic has made to breaking down sectarianism, not just in footballing terms, but also in a wider sense, especially here in Northern Ireland, where the club has such a long and close association,” she said.

“It is a tangible demonstration of Celtic’s commitment to help build better relationships between those who have a different political allegiance or ethnic background. We are indebted to them.”

A spokesman for Celtic Football Club praised NICHS’s role in promoting inclusion and the benefits of cultural diversity.

“Celtic has assisted a range of charities in Northern Ireland before, such as NICE, the Omagh Fund and the Northern Ireland Children’s Hospice, and we hope to support many more in the future.”