Scott Brown ‘inspired’ by Rangers legend Graeme Souness who brings hope to disabled children

Celtic legend Scott Brown says he was “inspired” by former Rangers boss Graeme Souness to give hope to disabled children.

Brown got involved and signed up to become an ambassador for the charity Debra for Butterfly Skin after hearing the story of teenager Isla Grist.

The former Hoops captain has told how listening to Souness speak emotionally about the 15-year-old’s problems inspired him to take action, the Record reports.

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He said: “I accompanied Graeme to the Debra charity dinner at the Glasgow Hilton for the first time a few months ago.

“I had heard of this disease before, but I had never really heard about it in depth.

“Seeing Graeme come on stage and talk openly about what it means to him, what he’s done for the charity and how he’s raised awareness of the charity was inspiring.

“Seeing him almost collapse on stage with little Isla and seeing their bond together, him going up north to see her and calling her his little girlfriend, it meant a lot.

“I’m not going to lie, when he was talking about it, I thought, ‘There’s a soft side to it.’”

Debra is a charity set up for people suffering from epidermolysis bullosa (EB), known as butterfly skin, a potentially fatal genetic skin condition that causes constant pain due to unstoppable internal and external blisters.

Last year, Souness helped raise £1.5 million for the charity’s Pain Free Life appeal, which saw him swim the English Channel with the Royal Marines and Isla’s dad Andy Grist.

Souness was described by the 15-year-old Pride of Scotland award winner as tough on the outside and “spongy” on the inside.

Known for his tough-guy image, Brown laughed off suggestions he might be just as soft on the inside: “Time will tell. I was all strength and no show off the field. It’s always nice to be nice off the field.”

“You would never want your own child to go through something like this. If you can help someone else’s child by putting a smile on their face or doing something to raise money for charity or awareness, every little bit helps.”

The two Old Firm legends have always had a mutual respect for each other’s footballing abilities, but Brown’s admiration for Souness grew when he learned of his commitment to the charity.

He added: “I’ve done TV with Graeme and I’ve known him since he was at Rangers but to see him speak with such passion about something was overwhelming.

“I knew I had to get involved too and make a contribution.

“Like me, Graeme probably didn’t know much about the disease at first: how it affects people, the pain to the touch, the sensation.

“Seeing what people go through on a daily basis, how hard it is for their parents to hug them, it’s heartbreaking.”

On Thursday, Brown, now a director of Ayr United, visited Debra’s shop in Ayr where he spoke to volunteers to find out how they heard about the charity. He said: “One of the volunteers heard about the charity through her friend who was cuddling her newborn baby in new clothes.

“She thought the baby was too hot, so she took off the clothes and ripped all the baby’s skin off with them.

“Things like that will stay with me for a long, long time and there are so many stories like that.

“I just want to help and inspire the next generation to get involved.

“It was great to visit the store to learn more about the importance of the pre-owned items sold to support funding for life-changing research, specialty healthcare and much more to support the EB community.”

Brown is hoping to get involved in fundraising but, unlike his former Rangers colleague, he does not have as much free time as he hopes to guide Ayr United to the Premier League this season.

An impressive draw in a friendly against Celtic and an Ayrshire derby victory over old rivals Kilmarnock give an indication of his ambition.

He said: “We just have to keep fighting to achieve our goal and see how far we can go.

“It’s not the biggest club in the world, but it has a big heart and we try to help each other. Everyone gives their all.”

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