For season 2025/26, the Foundation is working with Carers Trust Scotland as its National Charity Partner.

Carers Trust Scotland aims to transform the lives of unpaid carers, working to ensure they have access to the support, advice and resources they need to live fulfilled lives. The charity wants to ensure carers feel heard and valued and has 26 local Carer Centres across Scotland, reaching 66,000 carers annually.

An unpaid carer is anyone who cares, unpaid, for a friend or family member due to illness, disability, a mental health problem or an addiction. There are an estimated 800,000 unpaid carers in Scotland, including 30,000 young carers under the age of 18. The value of the care they provide is £15.9 billion per year. Three in five of us will become carers at some stage in our lives, and one in ten of us is already in a caring role.  Yet often carers cannot access the support they need.

The Foundation has pledged to raise £20,000 for Carers Trust Scotland. £15,000 will pay for 15 scholarships at the Education Academy, providing young carers with some extra help and support to offset the school time they miss owing to their caring responsibilities.

The Young Carers Scholarship is the first programme of its kind in Scotland and will include tuition, wellbeing support and mentoring opportunities to help participants thrive in their studies and beyond.

£5,000 will fund a football zone at the 2026 Scottish Young Carers Festival, where young carers can enjoy some respite, have fun with people their own age who understand about their caring role and get any help and advice they need.

The Festival is Carers Trust Scotland’s flagship annual event, bringing together hundreds of young carers from across Scotland for three days of fun, respite and connection.

The Foundation also aims to increase awareness of caring roles, highlighting carers’ stories and the challenges they face as well as signposting carers to support services.

Speaking at the partnership launch, Oliver Antman commented:

“It’s great that the Rangers Charity Foundation will be able to shine a light on carers this season thanks to this partnership.

“Hearing from some of the carers here today, it’s clear that Carers Trust Scotland’s work is crucial to the thousands of carers who are looking after a friend, family member or neighbour who cannot manage without their help.”

Becky Duff, Director For Scotland, Carers Trust, added:

“We are delighted to have been chosen as the Rangers Charity Foundation Charity Partner for this season. Thanks to the generosity of the Foundation, we will pilot our Young Carers Scholarship programme and expand the activities available to around 500 young carers at the Scottish Young Carers Festival 2026.

“The partnership provides a brilliant opportunity to raise awareness of unpaid carers and the incredible services that support them locally. We also know how important a break from caring is, and a day at the football can be just that. We hope this partnership will start conversations about caring, and that more unpaid carers can get the support they need and are entitled to, to live fulfilling lives alongside their caring roles.”

Connal Cochrane, Chief Executive, Rangers Charity Foundation commented:

“I am delighted that we will be working with Carers Trust Scotland this season to help highlight the value and role of unpaid carers in our society and the work which the Trust does to help transform their lives for the better.

“A huge part of our own work in the community is based around educational opportunities and pathways towards employment for young people. We believe in their potential and want to ensure that young people with caring responsibilities can still achieve their goals in terms of their education and, of course, their longer-term futures.

“We know that many young carers miss out on some of their education as a result of their caring responsibilities, losing on average 23 days of school per year.”

“It was therefore a natural fit for us to sponsor 15 Young Carers Scholarship places at the Education Academy via Carers Trust Scotland as part of our pledge of support this season, and we can’t wait to see what the young people we are supporting go on to achieve.”

Brogan Hay added:

“It’s fantastic that there will be a football zone at next year’s Scottish Young Carers Festival thanks to this partnership.

“We all know that physical activity is a real stress-buster and it will be a great opportunity for young carers to have fun with their peers and enjoy a game as part of the Festival.”

Find out more about the Carers Trust Scotland HERE.