Apologies

Andy K

1. Minutes of last meeting and matters arising.

All dealt with elsewhere on the agenda.

2. Treasurer’s report

Colin A reported that the Trust’s total balance stands at £28,840.66 including net funds available of £28,752.66. All funds apart from £357.17 are placed in savings accounts. The £15,000 currently in the term deposit has earned interest of £104.79 to April 31. The Trust’s only creditor is an as yet uncashed cheque for last season’s Prediction League. £21.40 was received from Easyfundraising on May 29. The Trust’s registered address has now been changed with the FCA and all other relevant bodies.

3. Memberships

A large number of memberships are due for renewal as usual around the start of the season. Bill will send out reminders and update the membership pack.

4. Future Trust events

a. Cricket match

Churchtown CC have put together a very comprehensive schedule for the cricket match in memory of Phil Carder and the Trust thanks them for their extensive work in organising the event. There is now a full XI to represent the Trust on the day and the Trust will pay the £10 on behalf of every player in the team which has been requested by Churchtown towards the running costs. Martin will contact Churchtown to finalise the arrangements. Bill and Alan J will be there at the start of the event to meet with Churchtown and the Trust players, and other board members will be there throughout the day.

b. Reunion

The first training session for the fans’ team took place last Sunday and further sessions are planned every fortnight in the lead-up to the reunion match. Thanks to Richard Brodie, the manager of the fans’ team, for putting together an engaging and very professional session, and for taking on the role with such enthusiasm. Event tickets for fans to attend the reunion are now being sold and interest remains high from supporters and players. Plans for the day itself are taking shape and Colin and Alan J will finalise the remaining arrangements. Bill will order medals to present to both teams as a memento of the day.

c. Other events

Dates for the planned schedule of events to cover the whole season and overseen by Noel will be arranged once the fixtures are released at the start of July.

5. Other Trust activities

a. Next meeting / coach travel

The main item on the agenda at the next members’ meeting on June 23 will be coach travel. The idea behind this is to give members an input into ways coach travel can be improved for the coming season. The meeting will be designed for regular and occasional users of the Trust coach and fans who attend away games without travelling on the coach to make suggestions for how changes can be made with next season in mind. The meeting is open to all members and those thought to have a particular interest in coach travel will be contacted directly and invited to attend. Members who are unable to attend the meeting can e-mail suggestions to Martin. Coach travel will be the first item on the agenda. As usual, tenders will be sent out to local coach companies for the coming season and Martin is in the process of making initial contact.

b. Next match signs

Martin has contacted Haydn Preece, who advises that he would like the Trust to continue with the next match signs. It is felt that improvements could be made on the current signs as the display is not the most visible. Enquiries will be made in relation to improving the display of the signs or, alternatively, using posters to advertise future matches.

c. Ben Highton sponsored run

Sponsorships are being received for Ben’s half-marathon on July 4 to raise funds for the Trust. Ben will be invited to the next members’ meeting. Fans can donate online or at the next meeting. Representatives from the Trust will attend to support Ben on the day.

d. Other

Progress with the memorial wall is ongoing and it is now intended that the wall will begin by remembering Phil Carder and Sally Devine.

6. Any other business

Martin will attend the Supporters Direct Members’ Day on July 17. Trust member Nicola Hudson has recently started work for Supporters Direct and will be invited to one of the Trust’s next meetings.

7. Next meeting

June 23 (members).

1. Apologies for absence

Katrina, Bill

2. Minutes of last meeting and matters arising

The recent awards evening was a great success and was very well received by both the club and supporters. A special thanks go to MC Noel and to Rob Urwin for co-ordinating the evening. It is hoped that this will be the start of improved relations between the Trust and the club.

3. Treasurer's Report

The Trust’s current available funds stands at £28,728.87. Membership of Supporters Direct for 2015 will be renewed at a cost of £100 and all outstanding monies have now been paid to Diabetes UK. Entry to play in the Fans’ Team at the Reunion has raised £555 to date.

4. Membership

There have been two new adult members and one new junior member join since the last meeting in what is a quiet time of the year for memberships.

5. Future Trust Events

The 04/05 Reunion will go ahead on Sunday 2nd August with a 2pm kickoff. James Treadwell of Moore & Smalley has very kindly agreed to sponsor the event which will include a buffet and a quiz in the Grandstand Bar after the game. A ticket for the buffet & quiz will cost £5 with family tickets also being available. A DVD and programme will also be produced. Most players from the 04/05 squad have confirmed attendance and the manager's position will be auctioned off. The fans' team will be managed by Richard Brodie and with over half not being Trust members it was agreed to offer some sort of incentive to encourage them to join.

The cricket match against Churchtown CC in memory of Phil will take place on Sunday July 26th starting at 1.30pm at The Rookery. Richard Brodie will play for the supporters' team with Churchtown happy to mix the teams if necessary.

The Trust's 10th anniversary celebrations will include a competition to design a new badge aimed at all schools in the area.

6. Other Trust activities

A complete review of coach travel will take place at the next meeting with all members encouraged to attend and put forward their opinions of how things can be improved. Loss on the coaches from 31st January 2015 is estimated to be £700-£750 which is completely unsustainable. It was agreed that the pricing structure will be simplified next season with a set price being set rather than 'in advance,' 'on the day' etc.

Next match signs for the season just gone cost around £600 and ways to improve their effectiveness were discussed. It was agreed that they do need to be bigger and perhaps a poster would be a better option. The club will be contacted to assess the value they put in the signs.

The Memorial wall will include bricks commemorating both Phil and Sally Devine when it is constructed. A piece is being put together about Ben Highton running the Southport Half Marathon which will be promoted on all media platforms.

7. Relations with the club

A series of questions will be compiled to ask at the club's AGM. It is hoped that the installation of the new floodlights will be imminent.

8. Any other business

The Supporters Direct Members Day takes place on Friday 17th July. Southport Fans team are planning a match against Chester Fans team and have very kindly offered to donate all proceeds to the Trust. The Webshop made £116 to the end of the year.

9. Next meetings

Tuesday 9th June – Members

Tuesday 23rd June - Board

1. Apologies for absence

Katrina, Alan S

2. Minutes of last meeting and matters arising

All were covered elsewhere on the agenda.

3. Finances Report

Thanks to Colin's tireless efforts the banking situation is much improved from the last meeting. Money has been paid into the bank allowing Arthur and the sign writers to be paid, both of whom have been extremely understanding and patient. The FCA have been contacted and made aware of the situation.

4. Membership

Bill reported that Trust membership is still at 220 including one new member from Australia.

5. Trust Events

a) Recent events

The Shave it or Save it scheme was a huge success with in excess of £1000 being raised. Luke George will be offered life membership as a thanks for his co-operation with the Trust. Unfortunately the weekend trip to Bristol had to be postponed due to a lack of sufficient bookings. Those who had paid are in the process of being refunded.

b) Future Events

Unfortunately the Players Reunion has been pushed back due to player availability and will now take place hopefully at the end of August. The Presentation Evening will definitely go ahead after the Grimsby game on 18th April and Eric Redrobe will be asked to present the Fan Of The Season Award. Various possible dates were discussed for the proposed Race Night but because of the difficulty in finding a convenient one for all concerned this season, it was decided to put it in the programme of events for early next season. It was agreed that the Trust will aim to put on an event after the first home game of each month next season whether it be a race night or a smaller event such as a quiz.

6. Structure and membership of the board

Communication between board members has been much improved over the last month. More board members are still needed and even somebody who just wanted to help in one area eg. coach travel would be a huge asset. The AGM will take place in August.

7. Remembering Phil

Phil's family will be invited to the presentation evening on the 18th April. Churchtown Cricket Club will be contacted to arrange a match in Phil’s memory during the summer. The celebration wall in memory of Phil will be launched in the next 6 months, possibly to coincide with the start of next season.

8. Representing supporters views to the Club board

More effort will be made to liaise with all members of the club board over the summer months.

9. Any other Business

A discussion will take place at a future date about the effectiveness of the next match signs. Unfortunately there has been very little take up for the Vanarama Big Day Out offer.

10. Dates of next meetings

Tuesday 7th April – Members

1. Apologies for absence

Katrina

2. Minutes of last meeting and matters arising

All were covered elsewhere on the agenda.

3. Issues arising from Phil´s death

The major issue is gaining access to the bank with money being able to be paid in but not accessed by the Trust. Obviously this affects the day to day operations of the Trust and steps are being taken to resolve this issue as quickly as possible. Colin has agreed to step into Phil’s role as Treasurer on a provisional basis. Donations totalling a superb £708 were received in memory of Phil and this money will go towards purchasing something in his memory. The proposed Celebration Wall was discussed and Martin will do more research on it with Rob Urwin and report back. The Goal of the Season Trophy and the plaque in memory of Phil have been purchased.

4. Membership

Bill reported that Trust membership is now at 220 with 47 new members having joined between the period of 1st February to the 31st January. The Trust now has 1310 followers on Twitter.

5. Membership of board, recruiting new members & improving communication etc

All Board members agreed that communication must be improved and an acknowledgement of an e-mail received should be made within 24 hours. Phils death has highlighted the need for new Board members with fresh ideas and skill sets. There are a few interested parties and they will be spoken to shortly. New roles such as a Projects Co-ordinator were discussed although it was agreed that it would be unfair to burden current Board members with either too many roles or roles that they aren´t keen on taking on. This heightens the need for a larger committee.

6. Shave it or Save it

We are now into the final fortnight for donations so this will be pushed as much as possible in the media. Steve Wignall, who will be shaving the beard, has made a very generous donation and his company´s details will be added to the Trust website´s Partners Page as a thank you.

7. Race Night

As a result of the very difficult last 6 weeks it was agreed to put the Race Night back to Easter Monday after the Telford game. This will allow more time for arrangements to me made and sponsorships to be sold and will hopefully generate more interest with what is usually a larger crowd for a Bank Holiday game. Tony Adams will host as usual and it is hoped the players and management will attend.

8. Players Reunion

The 04/05 Reunion looks likely to take place on Sunday 26th April although this is yet to be confirmed. After the match there will be a buffet, quiz and Q&A session in the Grandstand Bar. Preliminary pricing is £25 for a place on the supporters team and £5 admission for spectators including access to the buffet afterwards. Once these details have been confirmed the event will be publicised.

9. Cooperation with the club

There was a discussion about how more pressure could be put on the club in the future to avoid another floodlights situation. It was agreed that there would be a deadline put on any future purchases whereby funding would be withdrawn if the project wasn´t completed by an agreed date. A balance needs to be sought between being too reticent and too militant which may alienate the club.

10. Coach Travel

With Alan S being away Nicola Hudson has very kindly agreed to run the Wrexham coach. Thanks must also go to Arthur for being extremely patient while the banking issues are sorted. There are around 26 names down for the Bristol weekend with 40 being needed for confirmation at the end of March.

11. Any other Business

It was agreed that the Vanarama Big Day out offer should be publicised more to southern exiles who are more likely to travel to Wembley than those living in the Southport area. Voting for the February Player of the Month has now opened.

12. Dates of next meetings

Wednesday 18th March – Members (TBC)

Wednesday 8th April - Board

1. Apologies for absence

Katrina, Noel, Colin

2. Minutes of last meeting and matters arising

All were covered elsewhere on the agenda.

3. Treasurers report

The Trusts balance currently stands at £29,648. Of this £4,602 is earmarked for future commitments, the majority of this being coach travel to Derby. A total of £116.95 has been raised from Easyfundraising and the Annual Events Insurance has been renewed at a cost of £278. Next match signs have cost a total of £415 thus far.

4. Membership

Bill reported that the Trust currently has 218 members. Membership has already been picking up in response to the Derby game and it is hoped this will increase both on the day and in the weeks that follow.

5. Coach Travel

Over 500 people have expressed an interest in travelling with the Trust to Derby with over 300 of these having now paid. There will be a total of 10 coaches running with availability after that depending on cancellations once they have all been filled. The final day for payment to be made will be Boxing Day to allow a period for final arrangements to be made. Alan is looking for volunteers to be in charge of each coach which will primarily involve counting the number of people on each coach prior to departure on the outward and return journeys. Interest has waned somewhat in other fixtures following the FA Cup draw although it is likely there will be enough demand to run a coach to Kidderminster. The cut off date for confirming bookings for the Bristol weekend is 31st March. The coaches have run at a loss of £15 so far this season.

6. Cooperation with the club

A statement has been issued with regards to work starting on the floodlights. As the Trust is still waiting for feedback with regards to final expenses etc, a meeting will be requested in the near future and a further statement will be released once a response has been issued by the club.

7. Fundraising and events

The Race Night originally scheduled for January has been re-arranged for Saturday 21st March due to another booking in the Grandstand Bar. The Trust will liaise with Gary Brabin to try and ensure the attendance of the players. A possible Meet the Manager session will be held on Saturday 17th January depending on availability.

8. How to build on the Cup success

A quiz sheet will be given out to all those travelling on the coaches with prizes available including free membership for a year and discounted travel to an away match. The primary objective of this will be to obtain e-mail addresses so the Trust can keep in touch with prospective members and give them an insight into the Trust and what it does. Leaflets will also be available detailing Trust activities similar to the ones given out at the pre season friendlies.

9. Any other business

None.

10. Dates of next meeting

Tuesday 13th January – Members

Wednesday 25th February - Board