As we reach the proud milestone of ‘5th Anniversary’ of St Mirren Charitable Foundation, the Trustees wish to take this opportunity to reflect and acknowledge the amazing impact the work of the Foundation has delivered over this period, and over the past year to fans and the wider community.
We highly commend our CEO Gayle Brannigan for her leadership, innovation, and boundless energy in developing and delivering on a wide range of programmes and activities. We are also grateful for the skill and commitment of all staff and volunteers who are highly regarded by those taking part in activities. We are very aware that our programmes could not operate without you – Thank You!
It is clear the Foundation is going from strength to strength and the ‘community’ is at the centre of what we do. There are so many vital activities and programmes ongoing weekly that are making such a positive difference to the lives of those taking part.
Regular community football programmes for children and adults and the children’s holiday camps continue to see an increase in numbers.
Our Football Memories dementia friendly programme, in partnership with Alzheimer’s Scotland, also has very high attendances and this enjoyable programme is so vital in bringing older fans together to share their memories and socialise with each other.
Our ‘New Buds’ refugee Football Therapy programme in partnership with MEARS group is thriving, the team have been to several home games and are all now firmly St Mirren FC fans. The guys are keen to visit our Men’s Shed and share skills and knowledge with the Shedder’s.
Our invaluable relationship with Mental Health partner SAMH started with programmes like ‘Changing Room’ for men and women and we have very recently added to this with the brilliant ‘Ahead of The Game’ pilot for young people, their coaches and parents which is proving so popular and effective that we are confident of securing long term funding to continue delivery to grassroots clubs, academies and educational partners throughout 2024.
As we all know, the Foundation was a lifeline during the Pandemic and continues to be so throughout the Cost-of-Living Crisis with practical support.
Last year, our ‘Winter Buddies’ sessions provided food and essential service to vulnerable and isolated elderly people and families during the winter months. It became apparent the bonds formed within the group were strong and there was a need for the programme to continue permanently and so ‘Buddie Big Scran’ was launched and will continue to welcome those in need of a hot meal, fun & banter every Monday night going forward.
Another significant programme, designed and developed in partnership by CEO,
Gayle Brannigan, Corrie Campbell of Scottish Football Association, and menopause expert Maria Anderson is ‘Menopause Goals – Celebrating the Second Half’. University of Glasgow are our research partners on the pilot with long term goal to secure funding to train key personnel at clubs across Scotland, enabling women in communities across the nation access to free Menopause services, support, and education.
More good news this week, with the support of Scottish Football Association, in securing substantial funding which will enable us to deliver our ‘Extra Time’ programme in partnership with St Mirren Women’s Team and Renfrewshire Council Active Schools Dept launching across Paisley and Renfrewshire from Jan 2024. We are very excited about this new partnership and will provide full details in our December newsletter.
We would like to highlight a specific successful activity that has been established through the hard work of staff and volunteers, the National Lottery People’s Projects winning programme ‘Fit and Fed. This concept came through staff engaging with parents at holiday camps and gaining an understanding of the financial challenges they were facing daily. The process for this funding was a public vote and all members of staff and volunteers worked tirelessly to get this message out to the community. As a result of this, the Foundation was the highest voted charity in Scotland and was awarded £70,000 for the programme which will see over 5000 children and families across Renfrewshire provided with physical activity, healthy food, education, and additional life skills.
From the club itself, SMFC SLO’s, fans, academies and SMISA – every part of the organisation did everything possible to support this application. This is a great example of the ‘St Mirren Football Family’ all pulling together for such an ambitious and worthy project which has already started delivery. The Foundation will continue to build on our work with the Academies, SMISA and the Club to deliver the best possible outcomes for fans and the community.
There have been a few changes to the Board of Trustees of the Charitable Foundation within the current year.
Many of the Trustees have been with the Foundation for several years and dedicated much of their own time as volunteers to the Foundation.
Paul McNeill, a lifelong St Mirren supporter brought his skills in football development, fundraising and partnership to the Foundation stepped down and is now a Board Member with the club. We continue to wish him well in his new role and thank him for all his input to the growth of, and continued support to the Foundation.
Alan Wardrop has recently stepped down as Trustee and we would thank him for his work within the Foundation from its inception to where it is today, details of his input have been highlighted within a previous article and statement released within the past week. We wish Alan all the very best with his new business venture.
Ian Reid OBE served as Chair of the Foundation for 5 years and brought a wide range of experience from sporting and charity sector. His leadership, skills and determination have been instrumental to its growth throughout this period. Ian recently stepped down as Chair, however, continues to serve as a Trustee on the Foundation board.
The role of Chair has now been adopted by Margaret Fraser. Margaret brings a range of experience in the charity sector, community regeneration and business management to the Foundation and will continue to progress the aims of the Foundation alongside fellow Trustees and the CEO.
Current Trustees of the Foundation are Gavin Whyte who specialises in Mental Health & Wellbeing and Jim Hall who joined the Foundation earlier in the year and brings his wide-ranging experience in Organisational Capability and Governance, Ian Reid, and Margaret Fraser. Trustee recruitment for the Foundation is ongoing.
Chair Margaret Fraser said:
“I am delighted to take on the role as Chair of the Foundation and am acutely aware that I follow in the strong leadership footsteps of Ian Reid. However, as Ian will continue to serve as a Trustee, he will be a strong source of guidance and expertise with the quiet confidence & wisdom that he projects to us all. Alongside my fellow Trustees we are extremely grateful for the work of everyone involved with the Foundation.
What has been achieved in the past 5 years is nothing short of incredible and the impact on the community is immense. It is testament to the hard work of Gayle, staff, and volunteers. As a Paisley Buddie, I have had the pleasure of participating in ‘Football Fans in Training’ and took my four-year-old grandson to the weekend Mini Kickers & Saints Sessions (he didn’t want to leave). I saw firsthand the professionalism, organisation and friendliness of staff managing the programmes and safeguarding the children.
As we swiftly move into the Festive Season with our 12 days of Christmas Fundraiser, Festive Friends initiative on Christmas Day, Festive Tea Party and New Years Day first footing it will be a very busy time, but so important to the community. So, a big ‘Thank You’ in advance to all those staff and many volunteers involved and we will look forward to seeing you soon.
Finally, as Trustees we wish to give our thanks to Funders, Donors, Fundraisers and Patron Saints who make such a huge difference in helping to sustain and grow the invaluable work of the Foundation.
We are all very proud of our St Mirren Football Team’s and their excellent performance on the Pitch. We want to replicate their success by ensuring that the Foundation, as part of the ‘St Mirren Family’, are all pulling together to continue to make a positive difference to the fans and the community that we serve.
As the saying goes – “Together Everyone Achieves More. Here’s to the next 5 years.”
