Celtic player Charlie Mulgrew helped the club go back to its East London roots by launching a new project.

 

Breaking Barriers, a programme of sports, arts and youth work to engage young people at risk of turning to gangs - will benefit hundreds of youths across Tower Hamlets.

The Scotland international star was joined by Tony Hamilton, the chief executive of Celtic FC Foundation and MP Jim Fitzpatrick for the launch yesterday.

The project, which is supported by the Big Lottery's Reaching Communities fund, marks the return to the club's founders' roots.

Brother Walfrid, who formed Celtic FC in 1887, went on to teach at St Anne's School, Whitechapel in the late 1890s.

The programme was launched at the Houses of Parliament, with certificates given to young people from Tower Hamlets.

The group then moved on to East London where Mr Mulgrew welcomed young people at Spotlight - a multi-million pound leading creative youth destination in Poplar, and the hub of Breaking Barriers - before putting them through their paces on the football pitch.

Mr Fitzpatrick said: "I was born and raised a Celtic fan in Glasgow so it gives me a great personal pleasure to host this event - but this pleasure is not just on a personal level.

"From a constituency point-of-view we are welcoming one of the world's biggest sports institutions to Poplar and Limehouse to inspire young people to lead fulfilling, healthy and positive lives.

"Celtic FC Foundation have made a long-term commitment to Tower Hamlets, working with Active Communities Network in east London over recent years to identify key partners who can work in partnership to deliver the programme with them."

Mr Hamilton added: "Our efforts in London are not a new phenomenon as over the past three years we have worked closely with Active Communities Network to make a significant difference to hundreds of young people's lives.

"The Celtic FC story is an interesting one; formed because there was a need in the East End of Glasgow - that need has evolved but still exists today, in London and in so many inner cities across the UK and Ireland.

"Brother Walfrid founded Celtic in Glasgow and spent his final days making a difference at St Anne's in Whitechapel, we are merely following in his footsteps and continuing his good work."