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LOOKING FORWARD TO 2008
8th January 2008
With the New Year well under way, Vice-Chairman Colin Pike has a look back at our achievements in 2007 and also looks forward to 2008. Last year was one of our most successful years as a Trust, with membership on the up. Our major project in 2007 was the publication of 'Mission Impossible', which is selling well in shops in the town. Read on... |
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TRUST CONTINUE RESERVE SUPPORT!
19th December 2007
At the start of this season, only a short time age, your Trust Board decided, amongst other things, to continue our support of Youth football at our club.
You’ll recall that last season we sponsored the then, under 19 team. So it seemed a natural progression this season to carry that onto the newly formed reserve side. The lads who coached the 19’s moved on to the reserves so the decision to carry on working with them was made that much easier.
Our sponsorship this season carried an extra dimension, in that the Trust logo was put on the front of the reserves away shirts, the first time our logo has adorned a BRFC shirt, progress indeed! As well as that, myself and Paul Smith took the decision to carry on producing a match programme for their now East of Scotland League games which off course formed part of our overall sponsorship package for this season. This gave the lads the chance to sell ads in the programme as well as individual match sponsorship.
Putting everything together this takes the Trust sponsorship of the reserves this season to over one thousand pounds. Money we hope you will agree will help to cement the foundation of our club and take us forward into coming seasons.
You can download past issue of the reserve programme by clicking here! |
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NEW COMMITTEE MEMBER
19th December 2007
At Tuesday night’s committee meeting, the Trust made an interim appointment to the society board. We welcome Cameron Waterhouse to the organisation, bringing our committee up to 13 members. Cam is a life long fan of the club and has already been a huge help at past Trust events such as race nights and quiz nights. At 23 he is the committee’s second youngest member, a fact we are delighted with. We need more young people to come forward and offer their services to the committee, just to balance things up! Cameron’s main role within the committee is going to be fundraising and raising the awareness of the Supporters Trust. Once again, welcome Cam.
If you are interested in offering your services to the committee, or you think you may have fresh new ideas, please get in touch with Chairman John Bell or Vice Chairman Colin Pike. |
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OFFICIAL BOOK SIGNING
11th December 2007
Saturday's book signing went well, with dozens of fans turning out to get their copy of 'Mission Impossible' signed by the players from last season. Sales of the book are going well in the town, with a couple of outlets selling out completely. If you are ordering your book by post, the last day for the Christmas post is now Wednesday 19th December.
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LATEST MAILSHOT!
5th December 2007
By now, you should have received our latest mailshot which was sent out over last weekend. In the pack you will find a brand new copy of our Winter 2007 Newsletter, along with your free 2008 calendar, featuring shots by Kevin McCormick. If you have not received yours by the end of the week, please email us. Your details may be updated. Also in the pack is a hard copy of the 'Mission Impossible' order form. |
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MISSION IMPOSSIBLE OUT NOW!
3rd December 2007
After four months of bringing the project together, we are proud to announce that Mission Impossible is now available to buy. There are many stockists in and around Berwick and you can also order via post. All the details are on the 'more' button below! To avoid disappointment, we'd recommend that you get your copy asap as we have already sold plenty to supporters who pre-ordered. |
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STEVE WINS FIRST COPY!
20th November 2007
Thank you to everyone who entered our competition to win the very first copy of 'Mission Impossible'. The first name out of the hat was Berwick fan Steve Parkin, from East Ord. He will be presented with his copy very shortly. If you missed out, you can still pre-order your own copy of the book, which will be delivered to you before the release date. |
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PRE-ORDER TODAY!
5th November 2007
Good news! We are now taking pre-orders for the book "Mission Impossible". We hope to have the books sent out to everyone who pre-orders a week before the actual release date of Monday 3rd December. So, if you want to get in early and order your copies (as many as you want!), please use the order form by clicking on more below. PDF link now fixed! |
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CHAMPIONSHIP BOOK
22nd October 2007
After four months of hard work, the Supporters Trust are almost ready to release Mission Impossible - the book which celebrates our Championship success in May. Written by Berwick fan and Trust member Chris Sanderson, the book covers two contrasting seasons (05/06 and 06/07) at Shielfield Park, taking quotes and comments from players, management and fans. There is also a 24 page full colour section, with pictures from games throughout the 06/07 season.
Pictured above is author Chris Sanderson John Coughlin.
Priced at just £9.99, this is going to be something every Berwick fan will want to have on their bookshelve. And with a limited print run of only 1,000 copies, make sure you grab your copy quick!
The book is expected to be out at the end of next month, in plenty time for Christmas. As soon as we confirm a date, we will let you know. |
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TRUST RECEIVE ANONYMOUS DONATION
11th October 2007
It is with some pleasure, and no little satisfaction, that I can inform you of a very welcome donation made to your Trust last week. The source of this donation has requested they remain anonymous, so we shall off course respect that wish. What I am able to communicate to you is that the individual concerned, made the donation on the basis that the work we undertake as an organisation is of value to our Football Club and his recognition of that, is I think, an ample testimont to what we strive to achieve.
The values of honestly, integrity, honour and tranparency are one's we, in the Trust movement, are proud, in footballing terms and beyond, to strive to achieve, and it is these I hope, at least in some way helped our benefactor to come to his decision. In light of this we were extremely happy to accept the sum of £500, yes £500.
I'm sure you will agree a marvelous gesture. We shall off course work extremely hard to put our friends donation to good use.
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NORTH EAST FOOTBALLER OF THE YEAR
7th October 2007
Trust Chairman John Bell mixed with the great and good of North East football this week at the Footballer of the Year Awards organised by the Prince's Trust. Pictured here with Gareth Southgate, John is Chairman of the Northumberland Prince's Trust panel, distributing over £10,000 each year in grants to young people. Winners of 06/07 awards included James Milner of Newcastle (Young Footballer of the Year), Jonathan Woodgate (Footballer of the Year) and Nyron Nosworthy of Sunderland (Coca-Cola League Player of the Year). Read all about it at www.princes-trust.org.uk and follow the links to the North-East region.
Before the evening began John approached one of the hosts, Simon O'Rourke from BBC Look North, and asked if Berwick Rangers' championship success could get a mention in an event dominated by the 'big three' plus Hartlepool and Darlington. Sure enough, later in the proceedings, the 'Dream Team' duely got a mention - maybe John's cheers won't be edited out by Sky!" |
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BE PART OF HISTORY!
21st September 2007
Have you ever wanted to be part of something unique, an event that will mark a momentous occasion, one that will give you a sense of pride in the Dream Team and one that will ensure that you are remembered for years to come? Then all you have to do is join the Trust now!! If you sign up to the Trust before Friday 28th September then your name will be added to a page dedicated to other Trust members in our new Championship book, which is to be launched in November. So from only £2 a month you can make history, join now! |
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YOUTH INITIATIVE NEWS
12th September 2007
The new season is now underway for the teams in the BRFC Youth Initiative, who are running sides at U15, U17 and U19 level. We will be keeping you up to date with all the news and results, with the help of coach John McHoul. Please click on more below to be taken to the 'team' section, where you will find links to the Youth Initiative pages!
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TRUST HOLD QUIZ NIGHT!
26th August 2007
The Trust held a popular 8-round quiz in The Pilot Inn on Friday, 24th August, with around 35 budding geniuses taking part.Quizmaster and Trust board member George (Magners Magnersson) Thompson brought his own idiosyncratic style of quizmastering to the night (the winning formula involves drinking increasing amounts of cider and then dropping heavy hints about the answers as the quiz progresses).
Hard-nosed professional outfit Ruddock's Return scraped home by two points ahead of nearest challengers The Feathery Children,and the Trust is grateful to the winners for generously donating their well-earned £100 prize back to the Trust to help ongoing fundraising activity.The evening was rounded off with feast of pies and peas,washed down by Spadge's excellent Tom Wood's Best Bitter and an occasional Deuchars chaser.
Watch this space for more news of forthcoming Trust events.
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CHAMPIONS ON THE MOVE!
17th August 2007
The more observant. of you will have noticed a taxi in Berwick sporting our logo and web address, which has been spreading the word since May.
Two-Way Taxi kindly agreed to have their Skoda Octavia emblazoned with our branding and also, as you can see from the picture below, "Champions 2006/2007".
One good turn deserves another, so if you need a taxi please call Andy at Two-Way Taxi on
0800 8818322 |
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TARGET 200!
11th August 2007
With membership currently standing at 186, we are only 14 away from having a 200 strong active membership. If we get to 200, it will mark an astonishing achievement - and growth of an average of one new member per week since the Trust was formed. We are looking to existing members to help us reach the 200 mark - please click below to find out how we would like you to help!
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HALL OF FAME UNVIELED
3rd July 2007
After nearly three months of voting, the first 11 players of the 'Trust Hall of Fame' have been announced. Over 80 players were nominated by our members, spanning six decades of football at Shielfiled Park. Amongst the 11 was Darren Smith, who is one of the more recent members of the Hall of Fame. Click here to see exactly who came out on top... |
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Retiring Secretary
Mark Swanston |
TRUST APPOINT NEW SECRETARY
20th June 2007
The committee of the Berwick Rangers Supporters Trust are pleased to announce, that we have appointed Karen Thorburn as the new Secretary. Karen has been an elected member of the Supporters Trust Committee for almost 2 years now, and will take over the role from Mark Swanston, with immediate effect.
Mark informed the membership of his intention to step down at this year’s AGM; however he will continue to serve on the Board.
We are delighted that former Councillor Karen has agreed to step into this role, and if you have any questions for her, or any of the committee for that matter, then please do not hesitate to contact us on – trust@berwickrangers.co.uk
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FIXTURES PUBLISHED
14th June 2007
The fixtures for the 2007/8 season have been published by the SFL. We start with a tasty home game against Cowdenbeath on Saturday 4th August, where we will unfurl the Championship flag. We travel to Raith a week later before hosting Airdrie United. We have a boxing day meeting with Raith at Shielfield and on the final day we visit Alloa Athletic. Click HERE to download the full fixture list. |
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SUPPORTERS DIRECT CONFERENCE
30th May 2007
This year’s Scottish Conference will be held at the Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons in Glasgow on 30th June. The guest speaker for the event will be UEFA's director of communications, William Gaillard (left). For more information, including news on other speakers and sessions, the website: www.supporters-direct.org, where you can also register to attend the event for just £5. |
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CIVIC RECEPTION
15th May 2007
On Sunday 13th May, the team and officials travelled by bus from Shielfield Park to the Town Hall to attend a civic reception hosted by the mayor in honour of the clubs championship winning season.
Transport used was one of these very familiar red London buses. Unfortunately the weather didn't see fit to join in the occasion, but never the less the invited party lined up on the town hall steps for a few photo's, which acted as the denouement to a long season. |
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BRUNO THE BEAR HITS STREET !
TRUST BEAR IS OUT TO PLAY
20th April 2007
In a bid to promote Saturday's game, the Trust have printed and distributed 2000 flyers. Our resident bear, Bruno, was out and about in Berwick on Friday afternoon. Our Trust banner was also on the railings outside the O2 shop, with passing motorists honking their horns in support. We have also distributed leaflets to over 70 pubs, shops and supermarkets.
The feedback from the people in the town has been overwhelming, with many people saying that they will be popping along to Shielfield on Saturday, including a fan we met who had travelled
from Seattle for the game (pictured below).
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BLACK AND GOLD DAY
GET YOUR COLOURS OUT FOR THE LADS!
17th April 2007
This Saturday sees Berwick take to the field for our biggest game in years. To celebrate what a tremendous season we have had, so far, we are urging all fans to wear colours to the game. So dig out your Black & Gold shirt or scarf and cheer on the lads to what will hopefully be our second ever Championship title.
If you don't have any black and gold regalia, you can visit the Trust shop which is situated just inside the ground!
The football club have reported on their website that there will be a segregation in place on Saturday. The Arbroath fans will
enter via North Stand turnstile opposite the Black and Gold and have the seated area of the North Stand. There is no mention of the game being all-ticket. |
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YOUR TRUST NEEDS YOU! (4/4/07)
This Saturday sees our 4th AGM at the Black & Gold. We are currently looking for Trust members to step up to the plate and join our committee. We need enthusiastic fans to help with the day-to-day running of the Trust, come up with new initiatives and help with fundraising.
We especially need younger supporters to come on board, to inject new ideas into the Trust. We also looking for people who are keen to help raise money and organise Trust events.
You can be nominated for election to the board using these nomination papers, within the AGM documents. Please have your applications in before the AGM.
The A.G.M. kicks off at 12 noon.
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BERWICK RANGERS HALL OF FAME (26/3/07)
The Hall of Fame is being created to allow supporters to recognise the achievements of Berwick’s greatest players.
This nomination process is being set up to identify the first eleven, who will be inducted immediately. Thereafter three per year will be chosen, again solely by Trust members, and duly inducted.
The only rule is that you must have actually seen each player you choose play, thereby getting as much of a cross section as possible according to your age and length of time you have been watching the Dream Team. You can nominate as many or as few players as you choose.
To nominate, please click here. This process will remain open for the foreseeable future, after which the first inductees will be notified, first to the membership, and then to the wider community via this website.
So now its over to you, get your nominations in and be part of the first ever Berwick Rangers Supporters Trust Hall Of Fame.
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NEW LOOK WEBSITE (26/3/07)
As you will have notcied, we have once again re-designed our website. Up until now, we have not been happy with our presence on the internet, which was echoed by our members' comments. We hope you will agree that we cracked it with our latest site.
We have also developed a system where every committee member is involved in updating the website.
We have added a lot more content and useful resources to the site, a handy addition is the online application, where potential members are now able to sign up online 24/7.
You will also notice a banner on the frontpage for 'easyfundraising'. This is a new scheme where the Trust receieve a percentage of all sales made through easyfundraising. So, the next time you go online to buy a CD or a TV or even a car, make sure you click through the banner and we will receive between 5-20% of the transaction.
If there is anything you would like to see on the site, please get in touch with us. |
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TRUST HOST SUCCESSFUL RACE NIGHT (26/3/07)
The Trust held another successful race night at The Pilot Inn on Friday,17th March.
It was a classic case of "everyone's a winner" (are'nt they always?),with £530 being raised towards Trust funds,and a contribution of 10% of the takings going towards the national Red Nose charity event. Plenty of punters went home with a decent wad in their pocket too, though the closing camel race caused some confusion amongst the professional punters in our midst.
Guests of honour were BRFC manager John Coughlin and his partner Kirsty,who are welcome back at any time,particularly since Kirsty had the good grace not to clean out the bankers (that's "bankers") this time around.Coff was in good form,despite occasional choruses of "Coughlin's the Special One " breaking out from the front bar.
Thanks again to mine host Spadge,not least for his ongoing hospitality and support for the Trust,plus a couple of tiptop ales in Black Moss and Crouch Vale Brewers Gold.If you like a good pint and spending an evening with a load of slavvers,then this is the place for you.Especially when the Chief has overcooked his beer tasting.Thanks also to Andy and ? (what's the other guy called?) for running the race night - good work,and Trust members too;to Smudger for his organisational and publishing skills,and everyone else who mucked in and made it work.The pies,peas and pasties diappeared before you could say "what happened to the school competition to design a new strip? ",and we even signed up a couple of new members.
Plans are already afoot for a couple of race nights to be held during the summer months - watch this space for more details,and if you missed this one,make sure you get along to the next - it'll be bigger and better. |
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MEMBERSHIP NOW AT 160 (26/3/07)
Membership of the Trust continues to grow steadily from 133 in March last year to today’s figure (26/3/2007) of 160 an increase of 27 members over the period. In fact we have actually had 33 new members join but unfortunately, for various reasons, have lost 6. Viewed in terms of our core home support this is a tremendous figure but, of course, there is always room for more!
Our membership is spread throughout the UK and we presently have two members abroad, one in Spain the other in Dubai. We are constantly striving to increase our membership so please keep your eyes and ears open for any opportunity to sign up a new member be they a friend, relative or some poor unsuspecting stranger!
In our continuing endeavour to increase our membership two new categories of member, “Junior” and “Corporate” will be announced shortly. Watch out for further details on this website.
Finally, to enable us to keep in contact with you at all times please remember to advise us of any change of address and, if you are not already receiving regular emails from us, your current email address.
You can now apply for membership online by clicking here. |
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