Scottish Love in Action (SLA) is a Scottish charity which cares for destitute children in India, running projects in Homes-cum-Schools. To celebrate the charity’s 10th anniversary, Stripe is helping to promote the fantastic prize of being named in Irvine Welsh’s new book – Skagboys, the prequel to Trainspotting. The competition launched in Edinburgh, followed by an exclusive screening of Trainspotting at the city’s Dominion Theatre, where Irvine Welsh, a  supporter of the charity, led a Q&A with the audience.

Welsh will immortalise the winner as a character in the prequel to his first novel Trainspotting which goes back in time to the early days of Renton, Sick Boy, Spud and Begbie. The new novel will be called ‘Skagboys’ and is scheduled to be published by Jonathan Cape in April 2012.

All proceeds from the competition will go to SLA, which provides funding to a grass roots nongovernmental organisation (NGO) which runs projects in the south east Indian state of Andra Pradesh, caring for nearly 600 once destitute children in Homes-cum-Schools.

The majority of children in the Homes are Dalits – the so-called ‘Untouchables’ – ostracised and oppressed by mainstream Indian society. Many are orphaned to AIDS, murder or suicide and have been forced into prostitution, begging and living on the streets.

For more information or to enter the competition visit https://www.sla-india.org