A Maryhill teenager has won a special kit design competition for Queen’s Park Football Club.
Eva Rooney’s design featured on a new training warm-up jersey the Spiders’ players wore ahead of their match against Inverness Caledonian Thistle at Hampden on Saturday, December 9.
The competition was organised by Blantyre-based Dunns Food and Drinks as part of its partnership with Queen’s Park FC, which will see a number of community and charity initiatives undertaken to improve the lives of others – including this initiative with Aware Scotland.
The food and drink wholesaler invited young people from Aware Scotland to submit concepts or drawings to be in with a chance of their design being selected and featured on the front of players’ warm-up shirts.
Operations Director at Dunns Food and Drinks, Julie Dunn, said: “We would like to congratulate Eva on being named the winner of the competition and it was a real thrill for all of us to see her design in the flesh at the match.
“Community work is a cornerstone of our business and hugely important to everyone at Dunns. We are delighted to have got our partnership with Queen’s Park and Aware Scotland off to a flying start.”
Kieran Koszary, Head of Commercial at Queen’s Park, added: “We are delighted to be working closely with two local organisations with deep roots in their respective communities.
“We’re looking forward to seeing what 2024 brings for our partnership with Dunns and hope to continue to support Aware and other good causes.”
The initiative is a part of Queen’s Park’s Aware Awareness Day which saw Dunns Food and Drinks lay on a day of fun for Aware Scotland kids.
Aware Scotland is a charity which supports young people to develop their full potential. It seeks to provide unique experiences, build confidence and engender life-long friendship among those who have experienced trauma or faced adverse challenges in their lives.
Chris Glancey, Aware Scotland Founder, said: “Our young people had a fantastic day, and it was a joy to be able to work with Queen’s Park and Dunns to provide them with this opportunity.
“It was lovely to see our super talented Eva recognised and to watch her flourish under the tutelage of Iain.”
Dunns Food and Drinks and Queen’s Park FC will be supporting the Scottish charity through a range of initiatives specifically designed to benefit and enrich the lives of young people from Aware Scotland.
Fifteen-year-old Eva, who has been supported by Aware Scotland since 2022 and is a Higher Photography student at John Paul Academy, has also been given the opportunity to shadow Queen’s Park club photographer Iain Cairns and was pitch side for the fixture against Inverness.
On the day, 45 kids from the charity were in attendance to watch the match at the national stadium, courtesy of free tickets provided by Dunns.
Lewis Murdoch, 13 & Ava McIlwraith, 12 from Aware Scotland were also mascots and featured in the matchday programme.
Dunns also supplied goodie bags and is offering Aware Scotland’s young people the chance to attend training sessions, games, and press conferences in future.
Bucket collections will be taken at future Queen’s Park home games which will go towards Aware Scotland’s initiatives to provide respite breaks and unique experiences focused on physical activity, mental wellbeing, and fun.
For more information on Dunns Food and Drinks, visit the website.
About Dunns Food and Drinks
One of Scotland’s most historic family businesses, Dunns Food and Drinks Ltd are an award-winning wholesale supplier in Scotland. With a remarkable portfolio of craft beers, wines, spirits and food products from around the world, providing a specialist one stop shop for food and drinks requirements of all natures. Our extensive collection of quality products can provide the inspiration to create fantastic menus all year round.