Rangers supporters' club Gary Clark Loyal raises £22,000 for Strathcarron Hospice

Gary Clark Loyal – named in memory of a Light Blues fan who passed away from cancer in February 2015 at the age of 21 – donated £11,000 in 2017 and £11,000 in 2018 on what would have been Gary's birthday.

Gregg Dean, who helped to found the Cumbernauld-based supporters' bus, told the Evening Times: "During the sadness after Gary passed, myself and a group of close friends and family decided to try and make a positive contribution to his legacy and decided to start a bus in his name.

"At its inception we decided that we would do our best to raise funds for Strathcarron Hospice – where Gary was treated – due to the exemplar service they delivered and also the fact they need donations to properly function and deliver the fantastic level of care that they do.

"The initial expectations were that it would be a small close-knit bus but within a few games we had grown to over 80 members, regularly taking a double decker to games.

"The popularity of the bus is put down to the clear purpose of raising funds for a cause that has impacted so many people in the local community and also because Gary was so well loved by so many."

The group have also been supported by a number of ex-players over the years, including Rangers legend Willie Henderson who lost his daughter, Michelle, to cervical cancer in 2012.

Gregg said: "The main support has come from Willie who, although putting so much time and effort into his own charity work for his daughter's name, has hugely supported our bus since its inception.

"The cause we work for is close to his heart and he really has been fantastic."

The group hold a number of fundraisers across the year – from race nights and family fun days to an annual football match. In addition to the larger events, they also accept weekly donations on the bus and have been blown away by the community's support.

Gregg said: "We have raised an unbelievable amount of money.

"We make the donation every year on July 10, which is Gary’s birthday, and have just held a small function at Strathcarron Hospice attended by some members of our committee and some Strathcarron staff including the chief executive.

"For a group of young guys trying to do right for our friend, it’s a great achievement and Strathcarron cannot be happier with our achievements."

Jackie Johnston, fundraising manager at Strathcarron Hospice, is delighted with the group's outstanding efforts.

She said: "After Gary died in the hospice his friends got to work on raising funds for the hospice through various activities.

"We have an initiative called ‘Pay for the Day’ which encourages people to raise enough to cover the hospice costs and when they reach the target we have a celebration for friends and family. In Gary’s case, his friends have done a 'Pay for the Day' two years running on Gary’s birthday.

"It is a pleasure to work with this group of young men who are always full of fun and it’s such a lovely way to remember their friend who, sadly, was very young when he died.

"Very often there’s a public misconception that hospices are full of old people but, in reality, our services are available for anyone who needs them over the age of 18 years.

"As an independent hospice we rely on the support of our local communities to continue to provide specialist palliative care, love and support to those living with, and dying from, a terminal illness.

"After funding from the NHS the charity spends £12,900 each and every day of the year.

"Gary’s friend, Gregg, who has been instrumental in this fundraising, has been nominated for a Civil Service Award for his efforts and we are delighted to support this."