Family’s thanks as charity wound up
Set up after footballer’s death
The charity set up in memory of tragic Stirling footballer Chris Mitchell has been wound up.
The Chris Mitchell Foundation was set up in the wake of Chris’ death in May 2016.
The midfielder, from Bridge of Allan, was forced to retire early from the game due to complications from spinal surgery. He played part-time for Clyde before retiring to take up a new job away from football.
On May 7, 2016, while his partner Louise Rooney was in London, Chris went to the level crossing in Cornton and phoned her to say that he was intending to kill himself. The call was still live when he was fatally struck by the train.
Chris’ shattered family later set up the charity in a desperate bid to raise awareness around depression and mental health within football.
In a statement posted last week, the charity said: “It is with mixed emotions that we make this post tonight, but we would like to inform our many supporters over the years that we have taken the difficult decision to wind up the Foundation, but we fell that the time is now right.
“We have been given approval by the Office of the Scottish Charity Regulator (OSCR) to take the necessary legal steps to wind up a charity and we are in the process of doing this.
“Part of this process requires us to nominate a registered charity to transfer the remaining balance of our funds too and we have decided this will be Back Onside.”
Back Onside is a Stirling-based mental health charity.
The statement added: “The Foundation has worked closely with Back Onside and its founder Libby Emmerson over the past number of years and we are aware of the incredible work they do. Back Onside have supported many people connected to football, which was one of the main reasons for us selecting Back Onside as the beneficiary of the Foundation’s funds.”
It continued: “The Foundation was set up in memory of Chris to help raise awareness of mental health and wellbeing within Scottish football and we are very proud of the legacy that has bene created in Chris’ memory.
“We know from the feedback that we have received over the years that the work of the foundation has had a meaningful impact on the lives of many people and communities. The Foundation has worked with many fantastic partners and supporters over the years, many of whom knew Chris personally, and we have met many more new and wonderful people on this journey. We wish to express our heartfelt gratitude for your contributions, whether through donations, volunteering, or spreading the word, all these have been invaluable.”
The Chris Mitchell Foundation website and social media accounts have since been deleted.
The Observer contacted Back Onside for comment on being chosen to receive the foundations outstanding balance, but had received no response at the time of print.
Chris started out his career at Falkirk in 2007 and enjoyed a loan spell at Ayr United. He then moved to Bradford City in 2011. He returned to Scotland a year later to join Queen of the South before ending his career at Clyde in 2016.