Charity set up in memory of much-loved Inverclyde to set to hit £150,000

Yahoo

19-05-2025

A CHARITY set up in memory of a much-loved Inverclyde toddler is set to smash through the £150,000 fund-raising barrier at a forthcoming football tournament.
The parents of Euan Clark, who tragically died at the age of only 18 months in 2012, have thrown themselves into fundraising ever since the tot passed away.
Robert and Nicola Clark, along with family and friends, including Thomas Porteous, set up the Euan's Cause charity, and held their first fund-raising event in 2013.
(Image: George Munro) Euan had undergone several surgeries and treatment for a rare heart condition, hypoplastic left heart syndrome, during his life, but passed away 13 years ago while he and his family were waiting for a heart transplant.
Euan's Cause broke through the £100,000 fund-raising mark in 2022 - and now, just three years later, they're on the verge of setting another remarkable milestone.
Robert, 44, said: "Euan was born in 2010 and we actually started fundraising when we knew there were difficulties, and he would need treatment."
The family initially raised £15,000 for the Freeman Hospital in Newcastle, where Euan was cared for after he was initially looked after at Yorkhill Hospital in Glasgow.
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The main focus over the years has been to support Glasgow Children's Hospital Charity, and on May 25 they'll hold their seventh annual fund-raising football match at the Battery Park.
The charity has raised around £140,000 for the charity since it was set up, and they have high hopes of raising another £10,000 at this year's match.
The football action will be followed by food and entertainment at the Horseshoe Bar, whose proprietors, Iain Skilling and Michelle Campbell, have been a great support over the years.
Thomas says the continuing support shown by the community of Inverclyde for the charity and its work is 'overwhelming'.
He said: "This will be our seventh football match. It will follow the usual format of a Euan Clark Select against a Horseshoe Bar Select at Battery Park at noon.
"Then back here at the Horseshoe Bar from 2pm, we have around 12 singers and entertainers, along with a raffle and auction, going on until midnight."
Some of the prizes include jerseys signed by the Scotland, Rangers and Celtic squads as well as a top signed by Rangers goalkeeper Jack Butland.
Robert and Thomas are making final preparations for the latest Euan's Cause football fund-raiser on May 25. (Image: George Munro)
Robert lives in Greenock with Nicola and their children Lyle, 11, and eight-year-old Libby.
He said: "When the annual event comes round, the fact Euan's name is still remembered gives us great joy.
"To reach £140,000 in his name is incredible. It takes my breath away."
As well as the annual football game, the charity holds fundraising events throughout the year and the whole family takes part.
Nicola recently completed the Glasgow Kiltwalk with the kids and family, while Thomas and his son Adam and their family also do their bit.
Robert and Thomas want to thank all the people who work behind the scenes to make the annual fundraiser such a success.
Among them are Graham Irving-Cole, who raised £700 in a sponsored weight loss effort that saw him shed three stone, and who also uses his network of contacts to book entertainment for the charity's events.
They also singled out Dani Smith and Elliott Entertainment for their efforts, as well as the Flower of Scotland bar in Fuerteventura - a favourite haunt for a group of Horseshoe regulars who holiday in the Canary Islands every year - who donated 1,000 Euros to the charity.
Iain and Michelle also run a pub in Renfrew, and gave half of the proceeds from a recent fund-raising event to Euan's Cause.
To make a donation to the charity, visit justgiving.com/page/euanscause2025.
Robert said: "From day one it was about helping other families, and if we prevent one family from having to go through anything similar it is all worthwhile.
Thomas added: "Inverclyde is the poorest of the 32 local authorities in Scotland but people always step up.
"Once this event is over, we will start planning for the next one.
"We will never stop. It is a part of our lives, and we will pass it on to our own kids."