Scottish Catholic Observer

Deacon Blue’s Ricky Ross (above) and fellow broadcaster Michelle McManus have joined forces with Bishop Jospeh Toal of Motherwell and pupils from St John’s Primary, Portobello; St Maurice’s High, Cumbernauld; Taylor High, Motherwell; St Aloysius, Glasgow; and St Luke’s High and St John’s Primary, Barrhead, to launch SCIAF’s Wee Box Lent appeal in Glasgow.

This year the Wee Box will help some of the poorest people in the world, including poor cattle herders in Ethiopia coping with drought and climate change. The appeal—backed by UK Aid Match for the second year running means every pound given to SCIAF’s appeal before May 4 will be doubled by the UK Government.

Other high profile supporters backing the appeal include Scottish singer Susan Boyle and Scotland manager Gordon Strachan.

Speaking at the Ash Wednesday launch, Bishop Toal, SCIAF’s president, said in this Jubilee Year of Mercy the aid agency offered everyone a great chance to be merciful.

“It is a very important thing mercy, he said. “All of us need to show more mercy, to those in out lives and those less fortunate than ourselves around the world.”

In added that the words that made up the SCIAF acronym were all worth considering.

“We take pride in our Scottish identity, and we celebrate being Catholic,” he said. “We have International links though our Faith to the rest of the world and the Aid we Fund makes those links stronger.”

SCIAF’s Director Alistair Dutton thanked everyone who supports the charity’s work  and Wee Box campaign, including high profile Scots like Ricky Ross, Michelle McManus, Libby McArthur, Gordon Strachan, Des Clarke, Charlie Flynn, Kaye Adams, Susan Boyle and the Proclaimers.

—[email protected]

Pic: Paul McSherry