IT may have been bad news for Gibraltar fans on Sunday but the Tartan Army sweetened the 6-0 defeat by Scotland with a £5,000 cheque for children with special needs.
While the national team was completing the final game of the Euro 2016 campaign in Faro against the international newcomers, the Tartan Army Children’s Charity (TACC) presented Gibraltar’s St Martin’s School for Children with Special Needs with a cheque for trampoline equipment and two specially designed therapy “Nessie” cushions.
“We were delighted to be in a position to help provide bounce therapy equipment for the kids which has been proven to improve core strength in children with disabilities,” said a TACC spokeswoman. “The kids loved the bagpipes and the Tartan Army singing/dancing at the fanzone in Faro.
“We are also grateful to the Gibraltar team for taking time out to take part in the cheque presentation pitch side.”
Fundraising was still going on as supporters travelled to the game with nearly £100 raised on one bus from Scotland.
“A huge thanks to all our TACC supporters who were with us on the day and who made it all possible through your fantastic generosity,” said the charity spokeswoman.
TACC, which was set up in 2006 to enhance the reputation of the Tartan Army around the world, spends all year raising as much money as possible to support disadvantaged children in Scotland and in the countries the fans visit to watch Scotland play.
On behalf of Scotland’s football supporters, TACC then makes grants to children’s homes and projects, takes children to their first Scotland matches, and generally tries to brighten up the lives of children who need it the most.
St Martin’s Special School, which received the latest cheque, caters for pupils with a very wide range of abilities and conditions, ranging from those with profound and multiple learning difficulties (PMLD) to pupils who are able to access an outreach curriculum into mainstream schooling.
The school is able to cater for children with Down’s syndrome, autistic spectrum disorder, Lowe syndrome, Rett syndrome, Wolf-Hirschhorn syndrome, Kabuki Syndrome, cerebral palsy, Angelman syndrome, ADD and ADHD.
In recent years the number of pupils has increased to 57, including 15 pupils from the Early Birds Nursery which provides early intervention.
This year, the school was able to secure a new classroom which caters for a small group of pupils with the autistic spectrum disorder.
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