I invite you to join us at the Argyle Fans’ Trust AGM on Saturday 28th November, which will need to be held on Zoom this year for obvious reasons.
It would be good if you could join us.
This year has been challenging for all of us. Many of the plans that we, as a Club, as a Trust and as individual fans have been turned upside down.
We are very grateful to Simon and Jane Hallett for their generous support for our Club and they are assured that the Argyle Fans’ Trust is here to support them, whenever it is needed.
I am in regular contact with Simon and, as members of the Football Supporters’ Association, the AFT has a voice on the various issues concerning football clubs and fans in general, including governance, finance and safe standing.
Earlier in the year, the AFT board voted to donate £2,500 for the Club’s crowdfunding Platinum Package.
We had hoped to recoup much of this through the distribution of the various Platinum Awards, but this has proved problematic due to the continuous restrictions caused by the pandemic.
Since March, the AFT has had permission to use the kiosk alongside the bus stop opposite the Devonport End.
We have been disappointed not to be able to use it yet, while Home Park is closed to fans, but I am hoping there will be late night shopping between now and Christmas when we may open for the sale of our merchandise and form a collection point for the Plymouth Foodbank and Bootbank, as we have done previously from our table.
We have continued to support the Club through Youth and Ladies’ sponsorship while building our funds back up for next year, which may prove equally challenging.
Donations have also been made to the Jack Leslie Campaign and to the Plymouth Argyle Heritage Archive, to which we have also loaned Michael Foot’s famous Argyle scarf.
I am pleased that we have had a fair number of new and lapsed members joining the Trust, so I warmly welcome them and our three new board members, who will be voted in at the AGM – Sally Cockell, Chris Dennis and Sam Down.
It will be good to have some new voices on the Board, but I would also welcome any suggestions or opinions from any of our current members.
My thanks go to Robby Bullen for supporting the AFT through his calendars and cards.
I would also like to thank Celia Ellacott and Keith Brown, who are stepping down from the board.
Celia, in particular, has been a longstanding and energetic board member and, together with Keith, will be missed. We wish them well for the future.
Finally, I would like to mark the very sad passing earlier in the year of my Vice-Chairman, Tony Hooper. He will be very greatly missed by his friends and colleagues at the AFT, and by the wider Argyle community.
Thank you for your support for the AFT and I send my best wishes to you and your families at Christmas and good luck for the year ahead.
