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RAMSTRUST ACHIEVEMENTS SUMMARY
Elections RamsTrust’s formal annual elections appoint a Board to run the Trust. This yields changes in the trust board with fresh ideas and input emerging from new recruits. The AGM sees formal annual accounts presented and the trust’s business plan and strategy are revised in accordance with membership input.
Inter-trust Work, Supporters Direct and the Football Supporters Federation RamsTrust instigated the East Midlands Trusts forums - ‘EMTrusts’, which are regular meetings between different East Midlands’ supporter trusts. The forums discuss issues affecting all clubs & trusts.
EMTrusts includes: Cambridge Utd, Chesterfield, Grimsby Town, Kettering Town, Leicester City, Lincoln City, Mansfield Town, Northampton Town, Notts County, Peterborough United, Rushden & Diamonds and Worksop Town.
EMTrusts share ideas and best practices for effective trust operation. The trust’s UK umbrella body, Supporters Direct, has used the EMTrusts format to successfully set up regional forums for trusts in the North West and the West Midlands - RamsTrust members assisted by attending their set-up meetings. Rams’ Chairman Peter Gadsby addressed a regional meeting of EMT in September 2006.
A RamsTrust member was elected to the national Supporters Direct board in 2005 and has again been elected last year. RamsTrust members have also attended Supporters Direct Annual Conferences and the Football Supporters Federation’s annual “Fans’ Parliaments” and voted on conference resolutions.
Newsletters RamsTrust mails a quarterly newsletter to members detailing the Trust’s activities. The mail-out includes articles, reports and news bulletins, and seeks feedback to ensure members’ ideas & opinions are utilised. RT Online RamsTrust’s website at www.ramstrust.org allows all fans to see what the Trust is doing and what we stand for, with formal policies, reports and press articles. Fans can join online, make donations, vote in polls, buy RT merchandise and make their voice heard on major issues surrounding Derby County. There’s an active members’ messageboard, too and a members’ area with exclusive reports and coverage. RT In The Community RamsTrust holds meetings with Derby County representatives to maintain a dialogue on improving DCFC’s community involvement and fan participation.
In the community RT has participated in many activities, including the national Anti-Racism in Football Week of Action every October since our inception, to involve many young fans in the campaign. We distribute DCFC’s “Give Racism A Red Card” literature and run interactive quizzes at our Rendezvous. keeping the campaign in the public eye. Derby defender Pablo Mills guested at our event in October 2004.
RamsTrust supported the Derbyshire Youth Games community event in 2003 with a stall and games for youngsters and has held ‘Roadshow’ events at local venues with star guests such as ex-player Robin van der Laan. We’ve also participated in the Derbyshire Community Partnership Fun Day in the city centre and the Midlands Co-op Society’s annual charity Fun Days in Normanton Park, with a busy marquee, Tombola and football skills activities. The Co-op Fun Days were major summer events and attracted 20,000 people. June 2008 saw a similar large community fun day event take place in Chaddesden Park. RamsTrust were among the many voluntary organisations that presented family activities, competitions and merchandise at a very successful and sunny summer day in the park. The RT Rendezvous @ Eagle Centre Market RamsTrust has operated a lively Saturday Rendezvous stall in Derby’s Eagle Centre Market since season 2003-04 to ensure a public presence. It’s a focal point for RamsTrust campaigns & promotions and a place where Rams fans can gather to chat about any matters concerning DCFC and football in general. RT @ ECM promotes its own Rams-related merchandise lines along with official DCFC merchandise and literature too. RT @ ECM has been an agent for the official RAM matchday programme since August 2006 and there are also heritage displays and classic Rams’ football footage to watch on our DVD display. The Tralee Rams RamsTrust has helped organise visits to Derby from an Irish community youth organisation from Tralee, County Kerry, who have taken part in 5-a-side matches at the JJB Arena, watched Rams home games and also paraded the fans’ giant Super Rams flag on the Pride Park Stadium pitch at half time.
Honouring Our Heritage When Derby honoured legendary ex-manager Brian Clough as a Freeman of the City in May 2003, RamsTrust presented him with a unique engraved crystal bowl on behalf of Derby fans - honouring his status as a Living Legend in Derbyshire. After Mr Clough’s death in 2004, RamsTrust successfully lobbied several local authorities to name the A52 road between Derby & Nottingham as Brian Clough Way. A RamsTrust delegation has also advised developers The Walbrook Group regarding a memorial tribute and street naming at the Normanton site of the Rams’ famous old stadium, The Baseball Ground. RamsTrust’s May 2003 ‘Win, Lose or Draw’ exhibition in Derby Museum gave fans access to very rare football & Derby County heritage artefacts and cherished memorabilia. RamsTrust continues to campaign for a dedicated Derby County Museum at Pride Park Stadium. Steve Bloomer Statue RamsTrust submitted proposals to Derby County for a stadium statue tribute to their greatest player, Steve Bloomer statue at Pride Park back in 2002. A project team emerged and fund-raising commenced but no tribute yet exists at Pride Park Stadium. We hope that the club and all supporters can help to make proper tributes to Bloomer and other legends a reality.
RamsTrust has presented Steve Bloomer displays at Cradley Day, a heritage & culture festival that takes place every two years in the West Midlands town where Steve Bloomer was born. Cradley people and Rams fans are very proud of the incredible Steve Bloomer legacy and RamsTrust is helping to keep his story and legacy alive. Super Rams Giant Flag Rams fans wanted to enhance the matchday spectacle, so RamsTrust facilitated the purchase of a huge 39ft x 28ft “Derby County – Super Rams” flag. Fans provided all the funding for the £1,800 giant flag, via donations plus sales of a replica lapel badge of which 500 were sold. RT wants the club and community to enable Junior Rams - groups from schools and youth clubs - to parade the flag at games.
Sponsorship & Charity Fundraising RamsTrust has sponsored a Derby County player for every season since 2003/4. We have also sponsored a local junior team, Chellaston Under-11 Girls. Chris Warne Memorial Match In August 2004 RamsTrust organised a memorial match at Belper Town FC for Rams fan Chris Warne who died of vCJD in 1997. Belper played the Ex-Rams All-stars, with Kevin Hector, Roger Davies and David Nish appearing. A well attended day included an auction and prize draw and the event raised over £5,500, which was divided equally between the Human BSE Foundation and the Derby County Youth Academy. Cloughie Remembered Evening In January 2005 RamsTrust held a ‘Cloughie Remembered’ evening in aid of Lonny’s Trust, remembering Lonny and Rams’ legend Brian Clough. The popular Mackworth Councillor Lonny Wilsoncroft sadly died of scleroderma in May 2004 at the age of 52, established Lonny’s Trust. Journalist Gerald Mortimer chaired the football forum with Roy McFarland, John O’Hare & Roger Davies and authors Michael Cockayne and Tim Crane and the evening raised £1,350 for Lonny’s Trust. Ockbrook & Borrowash Cricket Club We participated in a fundraising forum for OBCC in October 2005, providing displays, DVD football media and a quiz in a sportsman’s evening at Derbyshire County Cricket Club’s Gateway Centre. It raised £3,000 for the local cricket club. The evening presented a memorabilia auction and an entertaining Q & A session with ex-Rams and Forest guest players on the panel. Belper Town Jamie Walker Event RamsTrust assisted Belper’s April 2006 fundraising event on behalf of their young player, Jamie Walker (22). He is a lymph cancer sufferer who wanted to raise funds for the Kingsmill Hospital Haematology Department. An all-star ‘Legends’ match, raffle and auction raised over £9,000 on a great family event. Edward Bright Early in 2007, local youngster Edward Bright was stricken with Y-strain meningococcal septicaemia and fundraising began to provide him with a better future. RamsTrust auctioned a signed shirt for Rams’ Player of the Year Steve Howard on e-Bay and it raised £250 towards Edward’s appeal fund. Please visit Edward’s site at: www.edwardbright.eu Ockbrook & Borrowash Cricket Club held a joint benefit event for OBCC and Edward Bright at another sportsman’s evening at Pride Park Stadium in October 2007. RamsTrust was pleased to assist again with a quiz, prizes and displays. There was an auction and star guest panel, featuring Roy McFarland, John O’Hare and Kenny Burns. It was a huge success as the evening raised over £9,000. RT in the Media RamsTrust has strong links with local media, ensuring that fans’ concerns and ideas on Derby County matters are aired. We have a regular weekly column in the Derby Evening Telegraph since January 2003, which appears on the DET website www.therams.co.uk and have also contributed a series of members’ letters in their ‘Letters Know’ columns. The Derby and Burton Trader weeklies have carried RamsTrust columns where members give personal opinions on the Rams and other football topics. We’ve contributed columns and articles in the official DCFC Ram matchday programme. Forums with Club & Media In October 2003 RamsTrust held a football forum where members and guests asked opinions of local journalists Neil Hallam & Steve Nicholson. We hosted a club Q&A session at Pride Park Stadium in February 2003, when FD Andrew McKenzie and Secretary Keith Pearson took questions from members. We then hosted an event with the Sleightholme consortium in February 2004; 150 people attended a Q&A session with DCFC’s Jeremy Keith & Steve Harding. It was at this meeting that fans learned that the then new owners had paid just £3.00 for Derby County and that no investment was forthcoming from them.
Meetings with Derby County’s Board RamsTrust has participated in regular meetings with DCFC to present members’ views & questions. We’ve also attended regular fans’ groups forums with Rams’ officials. Regular contact and discussion meetings between club & trust, along with frequent public fan forums, improve communication and accountability. Action For Change RamsTrust is fiercely independent and has campaigned for open and transparent governance at our club. Where the best interests of clubs are compromised, trusts enable fans to act collectively for change. Many UK trusts have been instrumental in change, refinancing, club rescues & takeovers that stabilise their club, improve supporter representation & enhance community links. John Sleightholme Regime The Co-op Bank allowed Sleightholme’s consortium to gain ownership of Derby County in October 2003. Concerns grew about rising debts; the overdraft and loans, late accounting and board disunity led to growing suspicion about their motives. Fans & media commentators increasingly shared the opposition that stemmed from the trust’s revelations about the club’s owners. Media revelations called into question the regime’s suitability for governance. Diligent work from RamsTrust assisted journalists to expose a complex financial maze and ownership riddle. The lobbying escalated, initiated by RamsTrust’s concern for the survival of our club. RamsTrust’s BOARD OUT flyer campaign commenced in September 2005 to enlist fan opposition when it was apparent that local consortia wanted to rescue Derby County. RT petitioned the club’s bankers in December 2005, calling for the board’s resignation and a change of ownership. Fully-fledged after-match protests erupted in 2006, RT members acting in association with the newly formed single-aim Rams Protest Group, who also demanded that the Sleightholme regime step down. Peter Gadsby’s consortium took control of the club on 28th April 2006 and the new board’s assessment revealed that Sleightholme’s regime had left Derby County £56m in debt. Fans rejoiced in the rebirth of Derby County and hoped for an era of success, stability & solvency. A whirlwind promotion to the Premier League followed immediately upon the appointment of Billy Davies as manager but the Rams found the financial gap and squad demands a step too far in 2008. The local consortium did not possess the harmony, stability and finance to sustain the Rams in the Premier League. The Future Structural changes took place with a more powerful full time commercial and operational team appointed to become a full-time DCFC board and management and Paul Jewell replaced Billy Davies as Manager. Adam Pearson succeeded Peter Gadsby as Chairman to seek new overseas investment, with American media corporation GSE acquiring the club in 2007-08. The new owners appointed Tom Glick as President. RamsTrust looks forward to working with the new owners to help them re-establish Derby County competitively amongst the top clubs in England. The club promises enhanced stadium facilities, fair pricing alongside regular, transparent communication Collaboration with the fans on the “Derby ‘Til I Die” book project and the Steve Bloomer Stadium memorial will assist visibility of the club’s rich heritage.
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