Northern Ireland

Celtic superfan Jay Beatty (12) donates his piggy bank cash to help bereaved Scottish family

Jay Beatty (12) started St Ronan's College in Lurgan earlier this month. This week he donated his life savings to help pay for a gravestone for bullied Glasgow teenager Britney Mazzoncini. Picture by Hugh Russell
Jay Beatty (12) started St Ronan's College in Lurgan earlier this month. This week he donated his life savings to help pay for a gravestone for bullied Glasgow teenager Britney Mazzoncini. Picture by Hugh Russell Jay Beatty (12) started St Ronan's College in Lurgan earlier this month. This week he donated his life savings to help pay for a gravestone for bullied Glasgow teenager Britney Mazzoncini. Picture by Hugh Russell

CELTIC superfan Jay Beatty has donated the contents of his piggy bank to help the family of a bullied Scottish teenager who took her own life.

The Co Armagh student (12) has donated £41 of his savings towards a headstone for the grave of Glasgow teen Britney Mazzoncini (15), who died in July following a torrent of online bullying on social media.

Jay, who has Down's syndrome, made the gesture after he overheard his father Martin talking about the story on Wednesday evening.

"I was just telling my wife the family were trying to raise money for a headstone and talking about in the living room and Jay must have been listening," he said.

"Jay then went up the stairs and came back down with his Celtic piggy bank and said 'here daddy take the money and get a headstone like the one granda has. We said to him 'are you sure?' and he just told that he didn't need it.," he added.

Lurgan youngster Jay first came to the public's attention when former Celtic player Georgios Samaras plucked him from the crowd at Celtic Park and manager Neil Lennon donated his league winners' medal in 2014.

Glasgow teenager Britney Mazzoncini took her own life in July following a tirade of vile online abuse on social media
Glasgow teenager Britney Mazzoncini took her own life in July following a tirade of vile online abuse on social media Glasgow teenager Britney Mazzoncini took her own life in July following a tirade of vile online abuse on social media

Since then Jay has become one of the club's most recognisable fans and famously scooped the Scottish league's goal of the month award in January 2015 for a penalty he scored in a half-time competition.

He started mainstream secondary school at St Ronan's College earlier this month and has settled well according to mother Aine.

"He just jumps up in the morning looking to go to St Ronan's so it's so far so good," she said.

"I would sit in the foyer in the morning waiting on his assistant to come and the amount of kids that go past and say 'Hi Jay' is amazing. You just know he's in the right place," she added.