Morton in the Community are celebrating five years of activity using Greenock Morton and football to engage people, impacting and, at times, changing lives.

In March 2013, Morton in the Community began engaging children aged two to 14 years old through football with mass participation and enjoyment as the theme.

Since then we have experienced a wonderful and exciting journey of growth and diversification. November 2017 saw 7,797 engagements with participants.

March 2018 marks our humble organisation’s fifth birthday; our fifth year of being the heartbeat of Inverclyde – our mission statement.

Why is this our mission? Each of our four areas of work – sport, health, education, and employability – has a direct or indirect impact on participant’s health.

To celebrate this landmark, our fifth-birthday charity dinner is being held at the Greenock Town Hall on Saturday 31 March 2018.

Operations manager Gordon McKillop said: “I’ve had the enormous privilege of working with the Inverclyde community using Greenock Morton F.C. as the engagement tool for almost four years.

“Before working with Morton in the Community, I underestimated the reach and impact a football club has. Football clubs across Europe are now changing lives, and I’m proud Greenock Morton is a benchmark.

“The fifth birthday charity dinner is an open invite to our community to join us and celebrate our journey while raising funds for the future.”

Warren Hawke, chief executive of Greenock Morton, added: “The work of Morton in the Community has been a breath of fresh air.

“We are delighted to support the future growth and increased reach of our club across Inverclyde. The fifth birthday charity dinner promises to be a wonderful evening of celebration and fundraising.”

Early-bird tickets are available by calling 01475 731949 or emailing admin@mortoncommunity.net.