Queen of the South selected to receive share of six figure sum to support local community

£250,000 will be injected from the SPFL Trust to support communities this winter. Credit: PA Images

Queen of the South have been selected as one of ten sides in Scotland to receive the SPFL Trust winter response effort.

A total of £250,000 will be given to clubs to support local communities this winter.

A £100,000 winter support fund has also been launched to provide clubs with funding to deliver projects in their area.

Queen of the South were selected alongside Aberdeen, Arbroath, Celtic, Dundee, Dundee United, Hibs, Montrose, Partick Thistle and St Mirren.

For a seventh year, the Festive Friends initiative will run providing doorstep deliveries of hampers to the elderly and vulnerable, or bringing isolated members of the community into stadiums for a Christmas meal.

All 42 SPFL clubs will take part in Festive Friends this year, with Cowdenbeath from the Lowland League also being involved.

The campaign has the largest-ever fund this year - a total of £133,000 - which means the SPFL Trust will be able to support an extra 1,000 people via clubs and community trusts.

As such, the programme is expected to support over 4,000 people this year across Scotland.

Almost 9,000 people have enjoyed Festive Friends in the last six years and that number is expected to reach nearly 15,000.

Hampers usually contain food, snacks, essential toiletries, gifts, games and more.

Some clubs even send video messages from managers and players, while others have players make personal deliveries.

This year, given the current cost of living crisis facing the country, the SPFL Trust has also organised for Age Scotland Friendship Line flyers to be distributed in each hamper featuring helpful information.

The SPFL Trust will also provide trusts and clubs with Transfer Zone collection points to be stationed at grounds across the country.

These are designed to be drop off points for people to share non-perishable food, clothes and other necessities.

SPFL Trust CEO Nicky Reid is delighted to welcome clubs onto the support scheme. Credit: Craig Watson

Speaking regarding the announcement, SPFL Trust CEO Nicky Reid said: "We are delighted to be rolling out our winter response, doing our bit to support communities across Scotland in these tough times.

"While Christmas and New Year is a time of celebration for many; it is also an extremely challenging environment for more people than ever.

"It’s the Christmas spirit in action as we see the power of football in spades - with clubs spreading cheer in their communities.

"Scottish football is trusted to support, and our recent research shows that almost 83% of people live within ten miles of a SPFL ground - because of this clubs and their associated community trusts are well positioned to effect this type of change in their communities.

"This year 43 SPFL clubs are involved making it our biggest programme yet, supported by a record-breaking fund of £250,000. We look forward to supporting more people than ever before."

Want a quick and expert briefing on the biggest news stories? Listen to our latest podcasts to find out What You Need To know...