Favourite charity of Tommy Burns faces axe over innocent killer links

Aug 24 2008 By Grace Macaskill

ONE of Celtic legend Tommy Burns' favourite charities is facing financial melt down over its innocent links to a killer.

Loaves and Fishes provide 4500 meals a year to the homeless and poor.

Burns was so inspired by their work he persuaded Celtic to donate £2000 a year and even helped hand out soup and food.

But the Glasgow-based charity have been forced to cut services.

Donations began to dry up after it was revealed a killer - who is now in jail and cannot be named for legal reasons - worked for them.

Chairman Denis Curran said: "People have turned their back on the charity because of the murder factor.

"We never had any problem getting funding until this emerged. Tommy Burns would be really disappointed if he knew how people have turned from us."

Denis gave evidence at the murderer's trial last year.

He said: "People ask how I could not have known this man was a killer.

"But I only knew him by a pseudonym. He came across as a lovely bloke. "We have to take everyone on face value.

How could we have known what would happen?"

Loaves and Fishes spend £28,000 each year feeding the homeless from Renfield St Stephen's Church in the city centre.

But the charity now have just £1000 left in their coffers.

It had to shut down for three weeks over the summer and cut services from two nights to one.

Denis said: "If we don't get help soon, we'll be in real dire straits. We've been running for 19 years and have never had to beg so much for money.

"I recently called one of my regular contributors and asked if he wanted to help sell tickets for a fiddlers' night but he told me they wouldn't shift. He said people would say, 'That's that charity to do with that murder.'

"We have done good work but are suffering at the hands of one man and his evil deed."

Ex-Celtic manager Burns - who died of cancer in May aged 51 - visited the charity in 1996.

Denis said: "He was wonderful. He came along at 6pm but was still there six hours later dishing out soup and food to those who needed it most."

'Tommy would be disappointed by how people have turned from us'

Charity boss Denis Curran

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