Canaries Trust. Moving forward...

[Kathy 823]

Last night I was fortunate enough to appointed secretary of the Canaries Trust, taking over from Mike Reynolds who had been in the post since start up in 2002. I am very honoured to given this responsibility as Mike is a hard act to follow and has been the main stay of the organisation throughout it’s existence.

 

I do have some experience in this area as I was secretary of NCISA for 7 years. I am very proud of my time at NCISA and feel we made a difference at that time. The Trust is a considerably different animal to the Independent Supporters however, and I am having to learn some very different skills not least how shares work, something that was a closed book to me until recently!

 

I feel that this is something of a watershed not only for me personally but also for the Trust, and I thought now would be a good time to attempt to dispel some of the negativity surrounding the Trust and eradicate any misconceptions.

 

The main aim of the Trust is primarily to acquire shares in the football club on behalf of NCFC supporters. While that might not seem of great importance right now when things are going really well, the thing is with football that you never know what’s just around the corner. Ask Blackpool, Bolton and Coventry fans. Some clubs have actually been saved from going out of existence by their supporters trusts and while we hope that never becomes the case here, it’s nice to know that you may be able to make a difference.

 

We have some great people in charge of Norwich City FC at present and long may it continue. Delia and Michael however aren’t getting any younger though and they won’t be here forever. Who knows what might happen then? Football is very unpredictable.

 

At present the Trust is the 14^th largest shareholder and the aim is to make that even bigger.

 

When I first joined the Trust, it was run by some very good people who worked hard behind the scenes. I do think though that they would be the first to admit they weren’t very good at selling themselves and raising their profile among NCFC fans. Consequently, they were seen as this rather dark shady organisation nobody knew much about, and dismissed as rather irrelevant, especially as they co-existed at the same time as more high-profile organisations such as NCISA.

 

That is no longer the case. The Trust has changed beyond all recognition. A lot of the original members have departed and been replaced by younger more dynamic people (not including myself here btw!). They have brought new skills and knowledge with them especially in social media and in marketing. The present-day Trust Board is quite different to the original one I joined in 2014. A bit like Triggers broom!

 

None of the Trust committee are in for their own ends. I have heard in the past suggestions that the aim is to get one of us on the board. I would like to put that to bed once and for all. I can assure you that none of us have any aspirations to be on the Norwich City board. Personally, I can think of nothing worse. It’s stressful enough just being a fan without the knowledge that your decision making can have far reaching implications for the team and the club in general. I have nothing but respect for Delia and think she must have an incredibly thick skin when you think of the criticism  she has had to take over the years. When things have gone pear shaped the brickbats have inevitably ended up her lap.

 

All the Trust committee give up their time freely and are very often left out of pocket. I can tell you that at last night’s AGM the treasurer paid for the photocopying of the accounts with is own money and that isn’t cheap these days. I’ve been on the committee 5 years and not once have I heard anyone request an expenses claim form.

 

It’s also a common misunderstanding that some of us especially Robin, are always keen to get their views heard on the radio and television. Canary Call excepted which is after all a phone in programme and designed for just that, I can honestly say none of us have ever rung up the BBC, ITV or a radio stations saying ‘This is my view. Put me on air so I can tell everybody’. If we’re on there it’s because we’ve been asked. We’re all quite shy really 😇

 

We work very closely with other fans groups. Proud Canaries, Forces2Canaries and Barclay End Norwich are part of our umbrella organisation and attend our monthly meetings.

We work very closely with the Norwich City Fans Social Club and have a good working relationship with them and make sure any planned events don’t clash . We also support each other’s events and fundraising activities. We are certainly not in competition with them. The key word I think is ‘social’. That is not our remit and we would be the first to admit that they are much better at this than we are!

 

Several us are regular contributors to Eddies Funds for the CSF weekly bet and meet up regularly with other PUPs. In my role as secretary I shall be pushing for more of us to get involved with this worthwhile and enjoyable enterprise.

 

Neither are we aspiring to become another NCISA. The Independent Supporters were more of a debating platform about matters on and off the pitch and did an excellent job as such. Although each of us may hold personal views on things NCFC and on other aspects of life in general, these are not necessarily those of the Trust and I hope we make that quite clear on social media. The committee is a broad church and there is a wide spectrum of views on everything including politics, Wes Hoolahan and whether or not corporate polo shirts look good on ladies..

 

We see ourselves more of a critical friend than anything. We do hold a memorandum of understanding with the club which took a long time drawing up and this gives us a vehicle to reflect concerns that we are hearing from fans if they arise.

 

Two of us regularly attend the club’s atmosphere group meetings so we have had a ringside seat for the wonderful work done this season by Barclay End Norwich and Along Come Norwich and the fantastic flags and atmosphere project. We’re not just there on behalf of the Trust though. If you have any views or suggestions, I would be pleased to take them along.

 

More recently there has been as shift in our stance in that we are trying to be more of a part of the Norfolk community at large rather in the way that the football club has been doing over the past few years. Not all of the money we raise goes into share purchase. We have raised considerable sums for the CSF. On Boxing Day this year three of us including me, plunged into the North Sea for a sponsored dip. Despite assurances from my friends at the Look East weather department (you know who you are) that ‘It'll be all right because the sea temperature is higher than the air temperature’ it was bloody cold! We did however raise over £1300 for the CSF and I’m still alive so it was all worthwhile.

 

On a foul night before the Swansea game with the support of the football club a couple of weeks ago Trust members joined the Norwich Food bank to collect donations. In total over 700kgs of items were collected. It proved so successful that we might make it an annual event.

 

More recently as you might have read as it attracted a certain amount of derision on here, the Trust has become involved with the project to put free sanitary products in ladies’ toilets at football grounds. This is a nationwide initiative - 'On the Baw'. which was started by three young women at Celtic and is now supported by 75 other clubs. We are aiming to be the 76^th. What’s not to like?

 

So, to finish then I’d just like to say give us a chance. I am happy to engage with people on here, on social media and of course in person. You can usually find me in the Snakepit on match days and often in the Nelson with the PUPs afterwards.

 

My Twitter account is @reephambird and I am on Facebook too.

 

You can also email me reephambird@gmail.com.

 

I would be delighted to hear from you.

 

If you’d consider joining, that would be great too. Obviously, we need money to buy shares and it costs just £12 per year to own part of your club.

 

www.canariestrust.org

 

contactthecanariestrust@gmail.com

 

OTBC. One City Strong.

Edited March 15, 2019 by Kathy
email address error

[Feedthewolf 5,885]

Sounds excellent, Kathy – I'll speak to the missus and see if she's up for joining (can't see why she wouldn't be). Now's probably a good time to join so we can enjoy our success with positive fans, but the more of us that join, the more of us get a say in the club's future direction.

Here's hoping people with historical beefs can leave them to one side and try to focus on the (very obvious) positives around the club and the city at the moment.

[Ginja 43]

I signed up to the trust recently and donated to ACN been very impressed with all the work you are doing and the work by all the other initiatives and I thank all the people involved working to make our club better. I honestly believe there has never been a better time to be a supporter of this club and it's thanks to fans like you Kathy.

[PurpleCanary 6,381]

29 minutes ago, Feedthewolf said:

Sounds excellent, Kathy – I'll speak to the missus and see if she's up for joining (can't see why she wouldn't be). Now's probably a good time to join so we can enjoy our success with positive fans, but the more of us that join, the more of us get a say in the club's future direction.

Here's hoping people with historical beefs can leave them to one side and try to focus on the (very obvious) positives around the club and the city at the moment.

Yes, there seems to be a history here that I don't understand or care about. That, whatever it might have been, was then, this is now. I don't imagine the Trust will achieve all its aims (and I say that as a member) but in general I fail to see how it can be anything but a positive force.

[Leedscanary 389]

Great post Kathy. 

Its good to see such passion being used constructively for the good of the Club, charity and the region in general. 

 

Keep up the the good work 👍🏻😘

[nutty nigel 7,902]

Great stuff Kathy and good luck in your new role👍

[Graham Paddons Beard 2,789]

Congratulations Kathy. And well done for all of your work. Enjoyed listening to Stuart again. 

[Kathy 823]

1 minute ago, Graham Paddons Beard said:

Congratulations Kathy. And well done for all of your work. Enjoyed listening to Stuart again. 

I didnt realise you were there GPB! Did I say hello?

[Graham Paddons Beard 2,789]

No, and my attendance was cut short owing to having to get back to  Binland - I did spy you from a distance! 😀

[Feedthewolf 5,885]

Myself and Mrs Wolf are now your newest members!

[Kathy 823]

Why thank you Wolfie. That is really much appreciated. Let us know if there anything you do or don’t like and if you have any ideas for things we could do or organise.

[FenwayFrank 2,717]

5 hours ago, Feedthewolf said:

Sounds excellent, Kathy – I'll speak to the missus and see if she's up for joining

You had to get permission from your Mrs ? 

 

 

 

 

 

Actually, yeah, I understand 

[Feedthewolf 5,885]

25 minutes ago, Kathy said:

Why thank you Wolfie. That is really much appreciated. Let us know if there anything you do or don’t like and if you have any ideas for things we could do or organise.

We both signed up using the Direct Debit link on the website, but didn't actually receive any email acknowledgement of the transaction... I trust all is in order and our details go directly to you guys?

[Feedthewolf 5,885]

16 minutes ago, FenwayFrank said:

You had to get permission from your Mrs ? 

 

 

 

 

 

Actually, yeah, I understand 

Not so much permission... she gets awful FOMO if I do anything NCFC-related without her! 😉

[Mandie Moo 94]

54 minutes ago, Feedthewolf said:

We both signed up using the Direct Debit link on the website, but didn't actually receive any email acknowledgement of the transaction... I trust all is in order and our details go directly to you guys?

FTW yes this info comes direct to us and you will receive an email in the next few days - I know this as I’ll be the one sending it!!  Welcome aboard and thank you for your support.

I’d just like to add my support to Kathy’s initial post - we’ve come a long way as a Trust since I joined, due in part to some really dedicated volunteers on our board, and with the addition of some new board members in the last year or so we’ve really increased our combined skill set and started to reach a wider audience.  I love being involved in the Trust, and I can’t tell you how proud I am of our recent successes, especially the  Foodbank collection and the comparatively large increase in our shareholding in the last few years.

If anyone wishes to make contact direct with any queries or suggestions please find the Trust on Twitter @canariestrust or me personally @mandiemoomoo or drop me an email mandiemoo@btinternet.com 

Thanks.

[splendidrush 720]

Where's Bill when you need a bit of balance? 😉

[Nuff Said 5,960]

Great post Kathy and good luck in your new role. Thanks for taking the time to explain the current status and activities of the trust so clearly.

 

P.S. I for one am fully behind the free sanitary products project. Shame it has to be done at all but all the best with it.

[Parma Ham's gone mouldy 2,462]

Good posts Kathy, Mandie 👍

Persuaded me to join.

Parma