Heart of Midlothian Football Club is delighted to announce that its ground-breaking partnership with Save the Children has been renewed for a further 3 seasons.
Save the Children will feature on both the home and away kits providing a brand that can be worn with pride by the team and by supporters both young and old.
The partnership, which commenced in 2015, was funded through the philanthropy of a group of benefactors who were supportive of the club’s values and ethos of community. Their support in providing the initial seven-figure sponsorship deal delivered significant financial backing at a point when the club had embarked on a major programme of redevelopment.
Their generosity also funded a new set of Save the Children programmes that have been providing much needed support to children and families in and around Edinburgh. This work has been enhanced by the involvement of first team players and has also deployed supporters who have volunteered their time via the club’s charity, Big Hearts, who have also received funding as part of this initiative.
This unique model of participation and collaboration between Hearts, Big Hearts and Save the Children has produced a highly innovative way of delivering family-focused support that enables children to get the most out of school and in life.
This success has inspired our benefactors to fund a further 3 years of partnership. Once again, the club will receive substantial funding that will underpin the next stages of transformation both on and off the pitch.
Ann Budge, Chair and CEO of Heart of Midlothian FC, commented:
“It is gratifying that the vision that we set out in 2015 for our partnership with Save the Children has delivered so impressively.
“I am particularly pleased at the way in which the relationship between Big Hearts and Save the Children has developed to reach more families in need in our community.
“The support shown by our fans for this initiative has been magnificent and is yet another reminder of what makes Heart of Midlothian such a special club. I am immensely proud that we are not only promoting Save the Children’s work by sporting their name on our shirts, but that our players and fans have had a part to play in enhancing the services that the charity delivers.
“I am delighted to extend the partnership by another three years and look forward to marking Save the Children’s centenary in 2019.
“We said it would be a perfect match and we now have real substantive evidence that it is!”
Fiona McBain, Save the Children’s trustee and vice chair, has been a driving force behind the partnership and has seen the benefits that it brings, allowing the charity to deliver work across the Scottish capital and reach more families than ever before. She said:
“Heart of Midlothian Football Club and Save the Children have built a partnership based on shared values and this has been life changing for many of the families that we work with.
“It has allowed us to deliver household grants – including cookers, beds, pushchairs and other essential items to struggling families. In addition to this, we have been funded to run our Families and Schools Together Programme, benefitting nearly 250 families to help their children to learn.
“This iconic partnership has given families throughout Edinburgh and Lothians the tools and skills to make sure children get the best start in life, no matter what their background is.”