Scottish Catholic Observer

The S3 pupils have signed up to climbing 8000 steps in Celtic FC’s home stadium Celtic Park in order to help disadvantaged children and young people in Glasgow and the surrounding areas.

The pupils will climb up every step in the upper and lower tiers of the stadium across all four stands in a team relay.

The fundraiser was the idea of PE teacher Paul Cassidy, whose brother had previously undertaken the challenge as part of an adult group that raised more than £5900 for charities including Mary’s Meals.

Mr Cassidy said the pupils are excited to be taking on the fundraising task. “It’s really giving our kids a focus to get fit first and foremost, and also to make a positive contribution to the charity, give something back to the community and to improve equality and help children living in poverty in Glasgow,” he said. “So it will be a really exciting and good way to engage pupils who might have been disengaged; it’s a good way to give them a focus and an incentive to do something really positive.”

20 pupils from the Summerston school will begin the team event on May 22, including one Rangers fan, who didn’t attend the photoshoot at Celtic Park for reasons unspecified, though easy enough to infer.

“It just shows you,” Mr Cassidy said about the young Bear. “He is willing to do it as well! It’s regardless of who they support. Though it has given the Celtic fans a wee extra pull.”

The school will be organising fundraising efforts in the lead up to the event including a planned staff versus pupils football match.

It is hoped some Celtic players might get involved in raising awareness for the event, as the pupils seek to raise the £125 minimum sponsorship target they have been set.

All money raised from the climb will be donated to the Celtic FC Foundation, which works locally, nationally and internationally and has four priorities to improve health, promote equality, encourage learning and tackle poverty.

—Read the full version of this story in the April 10 print edition of the SCO in parishes from Friday.

— To support the John Paul Academy pupils, phone 0141 551 4321 or visit https://mydonate.bt.com/events/stepchallenge2015/215881

— [email protected].