By Clark Gillies

Donation 105: Floga (The Flame)

2024 was an incredibly big year for TASA, with landmark occasions such as our 100th consecutive donation in Gibraltar, and our Euro 2024 Donation in Munich.

Our first donation of 2025 brings yet another landmark moment, as the visit to Athens for the
Greece v Scotland Nations League Play-Off match for our 105th consecutive donation, will see us leave our mark in the 50th separate country in which we have made a donation.

From Albania to the United States of America, that is now 50 separate countries we have made a difference in everywhere we go, and for the game in Greece, we found yet another worthy recipient for those donations from Scotland fans over the years that will help make another big difference towards helping children in need.

After searching for a possible recipient, based on the recommendation from Nikos Bozionelos, a Greek sports journalist, who suggested a group based in Athens that cared for his niece during her treatment for cancer, we were delighted to make Floga (The Flame) as the recipient of our 105th donation.

Since 1982, Floga has been shining bright and keeping warm the children suffering with cancer across Greece. It has been standing by them and their families, fighting for better medical, mental, and social care for them, sharing their fears and concerns and supporting their struggle in any way possible.

Floga’s mission is to keep burning as long as there are children who need it, and this is very much something that all of us on the steering group at the Tartan Army Sunshine Appeal feel very privileged to get behind and we were delighted to help them out.

In a way, the presentation started the day before, as Floga were so grateful for our donation that they arranged a tour to The Temple of Poseidon, a temple dedicated to the sea god Poseidon, located one hour south of Athens at Cape Sounion, the southernmost point of the Attica peninsula, overlooking the Aegean Sea.

A group of 12 Scotland fans took up the offer of the trip, with TASA represented by Clark Gillies and Micky Ross, and a blast from the past with McMirza in attendance with his family.

After a visit to the Temple, we were treated to lunch at a little Greek Taverna at the bottom of the hill, where we were offered dish after dish of Greek cuisine, and the wine, beer, and maybe a few glasses of Ouzo were all flowing.

This was all far too much, and on the bus back to Athens we arranged a small donation, which the driver from Floga point blank refused to accept, so agreed that he would use the cash to buy chocolate and sweets for the children.

The next day was match day and the actual presentation also took place.

After being introduced to Maria Tryfonidi (President of Floga), Georgia Kokkinou (Vice-President) and Vasilenia Chinari, we were shown around their Hospice and told more of what they actually set out to do.

80% of Children in Greece have to go to Athens to receive their treatment, and Floga’s hospice is located next to the two main children’s hospitals in the city, giving a place to stay for the families, as well as a chance to continue the children’s education, for the entire length of their treatment – all provided for free.

Also in attendance was UK Ambassador to Greece, Matthew Lodge, who thanked the efforts of TASA and the Tartan Army as part of a speech he gave, “A heartfelt thank you to our friends from Scotland. Your journey here, not just to cheer for your football team but to visit Floga, to meet the kids and their carers and, of course, to extend a generous donation of £5,000, speaks volumes about your compassion and kindness. Thank you for your idea, for taking the time and for choosing Floga.”

After the formalities of the cheque handover were completed, the 30 or so members of the Tartan Army that were in attendance, were treated to a performance by the children, as the following week was a big national holiday to mark Greek independence from the Ottoman Empire, and for the next 45 minutes we watched a performance of Greek song and dance from children in receipt of treatment for Cancer and their mothers.

While it was all Greek to us, I do not think many in attendance for forgot this donation.

The performance ended with a rendition of the Greek National Anthem, and in response, TASA official piper Mark Love gave us a couple of tunes on the bagpipes rounded off with a blast of Flower of Scotland which was wholeheartedly sung along to by the assembled throng of the Tartan Army.

Thank you to everyone who made an effort to come and support this donation at Floga and we hope to see you at our 106th donation in Lichtenstein.

There’s a link to Floga’s own report of our visit here.

And here are a few more links to news articles:

Scots of the Tartan Army donate to “Flame”
A “different” Greece-Scotland match: TASA donated 5,000 euros to “Floga”
Scotland fans donated £5,000 to ‘Flame’ | RadioVera.gr – Volos Free Radio
Story On X

#EverywhereWeGo