We have enjoyed a special relationship with Glasgow Children’s Hospital Charity since the Foundation was established in 2002.

We have donated cash, toys and equipment, supported Christmas activities and organised special visits and treats for the children.

The Rangers players take time out in December to visit the Royal Hospital For Children every year and staff, volunteers and Academy players help to hang the decorations in the hospital in the run up to the festive season.

This season, the Foundation has pledged to raise £10,000 for Glasgow Children’s Hospital Charity, which will fund some of the wards’ Christmas decorations and support the charity’s Family Bereavement Service for families and NHS staff affected by the devastating loss of a child..

The Family Bereavement Service operates from Crossbasket House, a facility on the hospital campus alongside The Royal Hospital For Children, which provides families with a place to stay while their seriously ill child is in hospital.

Children attend the Royal Hospital For Children from all over Scotland and families can end up very far from home for weeks, months or even years at a time. Sadly, some children do not recover and are never able to return home. In these heart-breaking circumstances, the Bereavement Service at Crossbasket House provides much needed support for grieving families.

The service includes a dedicated space available for Bereavement Practitioners to spend time with families and ensure they have the continuous support they so desperately need.

Last year the Family Bereavement Service supported 237 families with information, guidance and emotional support. The service also delivered bereavement awareness sessions to 137 health professionals and provided 160 NHS professionals with information and guidance.

Kirsten Watson, Chief Executive at Glasgow Children’s Hospital Charity, commented:

“The Rangers Charity Foundation continues to make a profound difference to the children and families who walk through the doors of our city’s children’s hospital.

“We are incredibly grateful for the ongoing dedication of the staff, supporters and players, who year after year give so generously.

“This year’s donation is especially poignant and will help those who have lost a child during the most difficult days of their lives.

“The need for structured, compassionate bereavement support when a child dies cannot be understated, and the Foundation has helped to make this possible.”

Foundation Charity Executive, Rachael Cosgrove added:

“The Bereavement Service is absolutely vital to help parents and siblings cope with the shock and pain of losing a child.  The Foundation is delighted to play a part in supporting this service with this season’s donation, and of course also contribute to Christmas decorations for the wards.”

In the past, the Foundation has paid for Christmas activities and decorations on the wards, a specialist piece of equipment for the treatment of jaundiced babies, film screenings throughout the month of December in the hospital’s MediCinema, specialised car seats for children with hip casts, a Safe Space bed for children with learning disabilities and more.

Over 173,000 children are treated at Scotland’s largest children’s hospital each year. We are proud to support Glasgow Children’s Hospital Charity in ensuring that each baby, child, young person and their family receives the best possible care and experience they deserve.

Find out more about Glasgow Children’s Hospital Charity here.