Chesham United Football Club

1.  An announcement was made regarding changes to the Trust Committee.  Due to work commitments, Simon Newbury has stepped down from the position of Trust Chairman.  He will remain on the Board as Vice-Chairman.  James Allen has taken over as Trust Chairman, and offered a vote of thanks to Simon for the work he has done thus far to get the Supporters' Trust up and running.  Dave Jeffrey and Mike Warrick were also invited to join the Supporters' Trust Committee, and they both accepted.

2.  Following the above, it was decided that, wherever possible, the Trust Committee should be aligned to mirror the structure of the main club Board.  With this in mind, here follows a list of the current Trust committee members and their areas of responsibility.

James Allen – Chairman
Simon Newbury – Vice-Chairman
Colin Beton – Treasurer & Finance committee
Mike Elliott – Secretary
David Jeffrey – Marketing, Sponsorship & PR
Mike Warrick – Matchday/Pitch & Ground Maintenance & Development

3.  Chairman Charles Manchester was also keen that a representative from the Supporters' Trust be appointed to the main Board.  James Allen was put forward as the Supporters' Trust representative, and this was put to the vote.  There were no objections from the floor, and consequently this motion was carried.

4.  Current Membership now stands at 78.  It is unlikely that any other people will join at this late stage of the season.  The importance of increasing membership by word of mouth was again emphasised.  It is planned that associate membership will be offered to all members of the Youth section next season.  There will be no charge, but associate membership will not include the right to vote.  It is also planned that a benefits package of sorts will be available next season (more to follow, as the details are confirmed over the summer).

5.  Treasurer’s Report.  Colin reported that £7000 has been raised through fundraising since the re-launch.  The Sponsored Walk / Cycle to Aylesbury should raise at least £3000.  From this, £700 has been paid for the upholstery, £140 paid for new DVDs (available in the club shop).  The toilets will be refurbished on the weekend of the 27th May, and this should cost in the region of £1000 - £1300.  The next major job highlighted was the roof, and Colin asked if anyone knew any roofers.  The following were mentioned: Sax Roofers, Broadlands Roofing Services, Beaumont, and Chesham Felt Roofing.

6.  Mike Elliott has agreed to take over the running of the club shop.  Any ideas for stock and merchandise should be directed to him (cufc_generalstore@yahoo.co.uk).  With regard to Chesham United shirts, James Allen and Alan Calder are working together and heading up a committee looking at shirts to be adopted by all teams within the club.  All options are being considered.

7.  The subject of hot food was broached and whether a Trust-run alternative to Bill's Burgers was feasible.  It was generally recognised that hot pies would be a good idea, as this is relatively straightforward, but something on the scale of Bill's Burgers would be more challenging - not least from a Health and Safety perspective.  Alan Sherrock mentioned he would consider placing a microwave in the Tea Bar (potentially funded by the Trust).

8.  Dave Jeffrey introduced the topic of fundraising, and stressed the need to continue raising funds, as Charles Manchester will not be making any further financial contributions.  The idea of the Trust is to earmark specific projects to improve the club as a whole.  A number of local events were highlighted - e.g. the Chesham Carnival, the Chiltern Show, the Heritage Weekend - which will all provide an opportunity to raise both money and community profile.  The Tour de Pednor was also mentioned, and the Queen's Head public house has verbally agreed to split any proceeds between the Chesham United Supporter’s Trust and Marie Curie fund.  This will take place on Sunday 25th June, and normally raises £2k+.  Supporters of Chesham United Football Club are urged to support this.

9.  On behalf of Mike Warrick, Dave Jeffrey introduced the current plans regarding summer work parties, with a focus on how to get the work parties working effectively and a clear idea of which jobs need prioritising.  Mike Warrick will take ownership of the lists, including details on who does what, how best to communicate the plans, what tools are needed and what activities the club already has planned.  Volunteers were asked to make themselves known (maintainthemeadow@yahoo.co.uk)

10.  Sarah Atkins, daughter of the late David Atkins, will be trekking through the jungles of Thailand to raise money for Cancer Research UK.  She has requested that all money raised goes directly to The Churchill Hospital in Oxford, where David received all of his treatment.  It was suggested that the Supporters' Trust make a donation, and an amount of £100 was unanimously agreed as sponsorship.  [Note: This has been paid].

11.  Mr Alan Cox has suggested a trip to the Oxford Greyhound Stadium over the summer.  Provisional date (I believe) is Saturday 22nd July.  Again, if you are interested please let someone on the committee know (st_cufc@yahoo.co.uk), or directly to Alan Cox.