Care provider Balhousie and owner Tony Banks lend support to Celtic FC Foundation’s sensory room at Celtic Park

MEDIA RELEASE 11 September 2021

IMAGES FREE TO USE

Leading care provider Balhousie Care Group and its founder and Chairman Tony Banks have been announced as inaugural sponsors of Celtic FC Foundation’s acclaimed Lions’ View Sensory Room at Celtic Park.

The £45,000 sponsorship runs for two years and covers the management and running costs of the Lions’ View, a specially designed facility providing a full match day experience for children, young people and adults with sensory needs, and groups with complex physical and learning difficulties.

The Lions’ View offers a safe and secure environment and viewing area on match days and will be used for other project sessions throughout the week.

Tony said: “As a lifelong Celtic supporter and founder of one of Scotland’s leading private care providers, supporting the Lions’ View makes sense. Balhousie Care Group and its specialist care arm ASC are all about providing quality, innovative care ranging from elderly care to specialist care for younger adults across 26 different facilities.

“The Lions’ View provides a safe, interactive space and that is vital for these young Celtic supporters. I look forward to seeing this develop into a gathering space for other groups as well, such as people living with dementia or Down’s Syndrome. Community initiatives such as this are integral to what Balhousie Care Group does. We don’t just provide care, we work closely with each local community we’re part of. We are extremely proud to be supporting the Lions’ View and Celtic FC Foundation.”

Located in Celtic Park’s Family Stand (Lisbon Lions), the Lions’ View opened in April 2019. It has the capacity to host 14 people as well as two Celtic FC Foundation staff who will support participants.  Operating at full capacity, approximately 200 children, young people and adults will benefit from the match day experience per season.

Helping to announce the sponsorship, Shaun Rosling, Senior Support Worker at Balhousie’s specialist care unit ASC, said: “It’s brilliant to be part of this and show our support for such a valuable initiative. This is a well thought out space – interactive but also calming.

“Our job at ASC is to provide specialist support and encourage independence among adults with perceived challenging behaviour, so many of them have shared the same sensory challenges as the guests using the Lions’ View.”

Shaun added: “At Balhousie Care Group and ASC, we really pride ourselves on our community partnership and supporting and sponsoring the Lions’ View is a natural extension of that.”

Celtic FC Foundation Chief Executive Tony Hamilton said: “Firstly, we’d like to extend a sincere thank you to Tony Banks and Balhousie Care Group for sponsoring the Lions’ View. This support will allow us to continue to make a real difference for a significant number of our supporters with sensory needs, as well as groups with complex physical and learning difficulties.

“It’s also important to recognise the part the Club’s supporters played in making this facility a reality through the Lions Legacy fundraising initiative and the fact that one supporter’s company is now behind the sponsorship, is a perfect example of what can be achieved when we work together.”

For more information about Balhousie Care Group visit www.balhousiecare.co.uk

Photo captions: Lions’ View logo; Balhousie Care Group Chairman Tony Banks; L to R – ASC support workers Liam Stewart and Shaun Rosling, Balhousie Care Group’s Jordan Russell at the Lions’ View.

There is currently a waiting list for the Lions’ View Sensory Room on a match day. Those who would like to learn more about the facility or register their interest in attending, should contact cfcfoundation@celticfc.co.uk

ENDS

For Balhousie Care Group media enquiries please contact Gillian Drummond on 01738 254254, 07365 284994 or gillian.drummond@balhousiecare.co.uk

For Celtic FC Foundation enquiries please contact cfcfoundation@celticfc.co.uk

 

About Balhousie Care Group

Balhousie Care Group was formed 30 years ago to fill a gap in quality residential care in North East Scotland. Today, with 26 homes in the area, it is one of the leading providers of care for the elderly in Scotland, providing care to over 900 residents.

Balhousie Care prides itself on its person-centred approach to care. Putting people right at the forefront of everything they do; it’s inclusive of everyone. They capture this philosophy through the roll out of ‘Together We’re Great’, an initiative which recognises the skills, talents, attributes and support areas for each and every person involved in the organisation. Together We’re Great aims to value individuality and promote excellence across the organisation.

A Participation Charter – a first-of-its-kind in the care home sector – commits to residents getting a bigger say than ever in the care they receive, from writing care home policies to recruiting staff.

Balhousie Care Group is the recipient of numerous awards. These include three Scottish Care Awards, 2019 Growth Business and 2018 Service Business of the Year at The Courier Business Awards, 2019 Growth Business of the Year Perthshire Chamber of Commerce STAR Award, and SME Scotland Business Man of the Year 2019 for Chairman Tony Banks. More recently the company was announced as a finalist in the 2021 S1 Jobs Recruitment Awards and the 2021 Health Investor Awards.