Tartan Army Children's Charity

Formed in 2006 The Tartan Army Children’s Charity’s (TACC) vision is to financially help and support disadvantaged children in the cities where the Scotland National team play.  In the early days of TACC we organised our activities around fundraising appeals for each city we visited. The Tartan Kiev, Tbilisi & Skopje appeals were our first steps at helping others.  TACC run by Scotland supporters on a voluntary basis and every penny raised by us or donated to us goes towards our charitable activities.

2006

The Ukraine fixture of 2006 immediately caught the attention of Scotland supporters Carey McEvoy, Alex Demainczuk and Derek Shearer of Seaforth Highlanders FC, an amateur football club in Edinburgh with strong Tartan Army links…..and in Alex a Ukrainian striker!

The result was TartanKiev - launched as a one-off fundraising campaign as soon as the draw was made. Over the year we raised money and gifts that helped bring a smile to faces of the kids at the Kiev charities that we choose – Kiev special school of arts for children with impaired vision and Kiev City Orphanage (Pritulok) Number 5.

Kiev special school of arts for children with impaired vision.

At this home and school to 120 blind or partially blind children. We funded repair work to fire escapes,  new medical room,glasses,special stationery andmedication.

Kiev City Orphanage (Pritulok) Number 5.

The home functions as a rehabilitation centre - homeless children brought off the streets are shaved and scrubbed, their clothes burned, and then they're looked after for 3 months.They wouldn't take a monetary donation - anything they received would have simply been deducted from their already meager state funding - so instead they compiled a list of what they need.
It includes winter coats, jeans, t-shirts, underwear, sneakers and other basics.

With the help of the Sunshine Appeal, the Tartan Army and all those other generous Scots out there, a total of £11,000 was donated.

2007

Building on the momentum of 2006 we immediately volunteered to organise the TASA donation in Georgia, and after liaising with the British Embassy in Tbilisi we chose two causes to help – Tbilisi Children’s hospital and First Step (handicapped children).

Martkopi, Tbilisi

This orphanage for handicapped children was in desperate need of funding. We funded basic provisions for the children and we gave a gift of a lawnmower to some of the boys. (Part of the charity's role is that once the children become adults they try and find them jobs in the outside world)

Tbilisi Children’s Hospital.

This is a fan’s description of what we found when we arrived. The corridors are big, peeling and draughty, and have the look of a deserted building. 
”Each of the wards/rooms we were shown were shocking to me in terms of their sparseness, and got progressively worse until we eventually got shown the room for handicapped babies, which was truly heartbreaking”  Our donation to the hospital funded a new baby incubator and we left them with a month’s supply of nappies (they were using and re-using damp rags before), several holdalls of beautiful baby clothes, blankets and incubator hats.

The fundraising was ramped up, culminating in a Charity Ball at the Balmoral Hotel, Edinburgh. We received donations from many people, and many supporters took it upon themselves to climb mountains, bake cakes (!), lose weight (!!) and run marathons (!!!) for the cause.

£15,000 was donated in Tbilisi, including life saving medical equipment in the desperately sad children’s hospital.

2008 

By now the TartanKiev name was becoming confusing, so from 1st Jan 2008 the charity officially changed its name to the Tartan Army Children's Charity. The individual “Tartan” appeals would continue though, starting with TartanSkopje.

In 2008 we raised money at our now annual Charity Ball at the Balmoral, from TartanSkopje t-shirts sales, and throughout the year supporters continued to make generous donations and sponsorships.

In September we donated £12,000 to children in Skopje:

Snezana Snezana is a day care centre for street children. They asked us for basics such as winter boots, shoes and slippers, clothes, socks, sports equipment, hygiene supplies and books & school equipment. 

- £4,000 to a centre for street children, to buy basics such as shoes, clothes, bedding, books and sports equipment

Topaansko Pole. Our donation provided the orphanage for children with special needs with vital renovations to toilets, showers, new beds and mattresses. The new mattresses are 15cm thick and replaced the 2cm thick mattresses which have been used since 1970 when the home opened. We can safely assume that the children will be feeling the benefit every night in their new accommodation and bright, clean rooms courtesy of Scotland supporters.

- £8,000 to a home for disabled children, to renovate toilets and bathrooms, and to buy new beds and mattresses (replacing 2cm thick mattresses which the children had been using since 1970!)

We also threw a party at each home, including pipers, to give the children something to remember us by.

In September 2008 TACC was named nominated charity of the Scottish FA, a status which has greatly raised the awareness of the charity. The Scottish FA have since been remarkable in their support, from marketing and player appearances to raffle and auction prizes.

In October 2008 we launched "TACC - South Africa 2010" - a £60,000 fundraising campaign for children in South Africa. The target was acheievd by the end of the qualifying campaign.

2008 also saw the launch of "My First Scotland Match", an ongoing programme where TACC invite disadvantaged Scottish children to each Scotland game at Hampden.

Finally, 2008 saw the first Christmas Present Appeal for children supported by Aberlour Child Care Trust, with supporters donating a whopping £2,500 to which TACC added a further £1,000.

2009 

• TACC donated £8,500 of Christmas presents for children supported by Aberlour Child Care Trust . Supporters donated a massive £4,000 which TACC matched so that every child on the list got a present from us.

• We also donated £500 in December to an appeal for 2 years old Ross Anderton from East Lothian, who suffers from a cancerous tumour on his eye. We wish you well Ross.
www.giverossafuture.org.uk

• We took dozens of disadvantaged Scottish children to Hampden to join the Tartan Army for their first Scotland match. For more details see My First Scotland Match

• You helped us raised an amazing £60,000 for children in South Africa. This will be donated during the World Cup Finals (even though Scotland didn’t qualify), to children orphaned by Aids and HIV, and to a project for Street Children. More details of the donations will be available in the New Year.

Thanks to everyone who supported us in 2009. Click here for details.

2010

Ukraine re-visited - £10’000

Kiev special school of arts for children with impaired vision. We are often told that our most important gift isn’t the money we donate, but the time we spend with children. In 2010 we went back to spend time with our friends in Kiev and with match funding from the Kiev Lion’s club we donated specialist arts and crafts supplies that would be used to teach the kids skills that would help earn them a living at school leaving age.

World Cup finals South Africa. - £60’000

We had made ambitious plans to work with awesome charities when Scotland qualified for the world cup in South Africa. Unfortunately we didn’t make it but TACC follow through with our plans and made sure that Scotland were represented in South Africa. 

Let us grow. Johannesburg.  TACC's £30,000 donation will fund the project for all of 2010. It will provide providing food, counselling, support, medicine, sport and education to homeless and vulnerable street children in the shanty towns. 

Umthombo Street Children, Durban. Our £30,000 Umthumbo donation allow the organisation to open a 24hr shelter for street children where as previously they could only offer a daytime service and the kids were forced to sleep rough.   

Lithuainia 2010 - £20’000

Childrens Care Home ''Gile''  This home provides care for orphaned children aged 1-18 as well as temporary care for children from unstable and socially disadvantaged families.

Our donations will be used to provide: 

•    Equipment used by the children during fun/leisure time

•    Day trips and Christmas Parties

•    Clothes and shoes  

•    A basketball court and football pitch.

•    A a renovated kitchen to allow the children to learn to cook for themselves, in preparation for later life.

Vilnius City Children’s Home for disabled children This home next door to the orphanage was in desperate need of a decent outdoor play area for the disabled children. Our donations will be used to provide a basketball court & a small football pitch and goal posts

The Centre for the Blind and Partially Sighted The Centre provides education and accommodation for blind and severly visually impaired children of different ages from all over Lithuania. Often the kids are from socially disadvantaged families, making them even more vulnerable. Some of the kids are very talented, but they badly lack funds for a variety of activities and social programmes and our support will make a big difference to them. Our donation will fund day trips, Braille books and other important games and toys that help children with sight difficulties.

In Kaunas, TACC funded the purchase match tickets and scarfs for 140 local orphans to allow them to go to the Lithuania vs Scotland match.

Czech Republic - £15’000

The Strom Foundation, Prague. The storm foundation is a small voluntary organization run by parent of severely autistic children.  They asked TACC to help them build a playground at their small education centre. Storm told us the items they would value most would be a trampoline (jumping is one of few natural motoric activities autistic children like), hammocks and other bits and pieces which would form a nice outdoors playground. 

2011

Celtic Nations Cup, Ireland 2011 - €5500

Barretstown, Dublin.  Our charity recipient rebuilds the lives of children affected by serious illness, and their families, through a life changing Therapeutic Recreation programme in a safe, fun and supportive environment.  Our support specifically funded a horse riding for the disabled program. 

Spain, 2011 - £17500

Association Emaus, Alicante. Our charity partner in Alicante and the surrounding area work with the most disadvantaged and vulnerable children and babies who are often victims of the sex trade, ethnic  prejudice and substance abuse. They told us their dream was to build a football pitch on a piece of scrubland at the back of their orphanage. TACC provided the funds and they provided the people power & a dream was realized. TACC have been back to visit our Emaus friends & have helped out with a further £500 Christmas donation.  

Ukraine re-visited - £5000

Kiev special school of arts for children with impaired vision. We responded to a special Christmas appeal from the children of the blind school in Kiev and supported the purchase of space heaters to help them cope with a bitter winter with temps of -30c.

Macedonia re-visited - £5000

Snezana, Skopje  As part of our Christmas appeal we went back to the poorest organisations we have supported and Snezana asked for the most basic of items such as shoes, towels, toiletries, clothes and school equipment. These may seem insignificant to us but these basic supplies and items make a significant difference to the children.

In addition to these items the school have also been able to purchase a Boiler, Washing Machine and make some much needed repairs to the centre.
 

2012

Wales -  £5000

Bobath, Cardiff.  TACC we really pleased to support Bobath’s ground breaking work with Children that suffer from Cerebral Palsy. Bobath Children’s Therapy Centre provides bespoke physiotherapy, occupational therapy and speech and language therapy. Bobath therapists are state-registered and work together as a team to combine these disciplines to give each child the skills to explore their world, communicate their needs, maximise their potential and so improve their quality of life.

Belguim - £5000

Maison d'Enfants Reine Marie Henriette, Brussels.  This organization is a residential home that looks after children from birth to age 14, either temporarily or permanently and helps re-integrate children to their family situation where possible. State funding provides the basics but they rely on donations for trips for the children and equipment. Some of our donation is going towards new beds for the children.

2013

Serbia - £10’000

EHO, Street Children Shelter, Novi Sad.  Ecumenical Humanitarian Organisation (EHO) are a non-factional, non-governmental and non-profit citizen’s association and we will be supporting their incredible work with street children. The money will provide street children with vital heath and welfare support in the name of Scotland & the Tartan Army. TACC are also humbled to be supporting street children who are exploited, abused and neglected through no fault of their own with education scholarships to help them break the cycle of poverty through education. 

Supporting children in Scotland

In 2010 TACC trustees unanimously voted to donate at least 50% of our income to support disadvantaged children in Scotland.

My First Scotland Match recognises that supporters were at some point lucky enough to have someone take them to their first Scotland match. Unfortunately for a growing number of Scottish children this is not the case. There are many children who face great challenges in their lives and have never had this opportunity. TACC has taken a group of disadvantaged Scottish Children to every Scotland home game since 2010.

TACC FCpartners and funds 5 local community based organisations around Scotland to deliver:

- High quality football coaching and participation to young people (YP) in Scotland's poorest communities

- A good quality healthy meal 

- Positive, constructive, meaningful, learning relationships between YP and positive role models in their community

- Integration between the YP and wider community and learning opportunities 

- A commitment to learning and respecting what works in the local community and sharing this practice

To date TACC has invested £100’000 in TACC FC projects in Pilton, Ruchazie, Ferguslie Park, Kilmarnock and Levenmouth.

Christmas Appeal. Since 2010 TACC has worked with the Tartan Army to provide over  £30’000 worth of gifts and financial support for some of Scotland’s poorest children and their families. This support helps the most vulnerable in our society have a decent Christmas and enjoy the some of the basics we take for granted. 

Respite Services. Tacc are delighted to have been able to support Hopscotch,  an amazing small charity based in the Highlands to which provides FREE respite breaks for Scotland's most disadvantaged children. Our investment of £16’500 replaced a kitchen and provided 4 weeks of free respite care to disadvantaged Scottish Children.

Winter Coats appeal. In 2010 Save the Children reported that in Scotland 95,000 (1 in 5) children live in 'severe poverty', with 10% of Scots children in families struggling to meet living costs. The report talked about children going without a winter coat, a bed and other day-to-day essentials. We helped by buying & distributing 500 warm winter coats to disadvantaged Scottish Children. 

General Appeals. For the most part TACC does not support a general appeals policy but on occasion we have helped disadvantaged and sick Scottish children around the country and world.

Royal Aberdeen Children’s Hospital & Sick Kids Hospital Edinburgh. TACC is proud to have supported the work of the play departments in this special hospitals to the value of £15’000.