Brilliant barrels boost fantastic fundraising effort

Thanks to our supporters’ brilliant response to the barrel and bucket collections, pound for the ground and half-time draw tickets and Development Fund fundraising at the last two home games of the season, we have sailed through the £30,000 mark for the season. The final total collected stands at a fantastic £31,475 - a brilliant effort by all concerned!

Massive thanks are due to everyone who has contributed during the season and particularly to our fantastic volunteers who have been there week-in, week-out in rain, hail, snow and shine working hard to ensure that we’re able to raise money to help FC United realise our dream of a ground of our own.

Maybe we don’t pat ourselves on the back enough sometimes, but on this occasion it’s more than justified. Raising this amount in one season is a truly amazing effort and shows just what this football club means to its co-owners and supporters.

Fundraising highlights from the Burscough and Northwich games are listed below.

Burscough game

There was a grand total of £384 raised, which included contributions from a host of money raising activities:

- The winner of the PFTG draw donated £100 back to the DF, so heartfelt thanks to Pat and her family.
- The Stockport branch tipped up with £32 - proceeds from their Grand National sweepstake.
- The "Make A Difference Week" inspired someone to put in £10 from book sales.
- John and Liz Murray brought the £40proceeds from selling honey and preserves on the Irwell Valley Branch stall on Youth United Day - kerching!
- Andy Lake also sent £35, proceeds from selling Yankee Candles on the IVB stall.
- 60 euros were exchanged pre-match with Tim from Shropshire and as usual he gave more than market value, so that’s another £60.
- There was of course the usual mountain of loose change and, as a bonus, 40 euros which will be swapped as soon as possible.
- The Bucketeers finished the season off at Matlock with a very healthy £75 collection.

Northwich Victoria game

The barrel collection at the Northwich game was exceptional, amassing a grand total of £664. As usual there were some heart warming stories:-

- £42 collected at the FC United General Meeting on 19 April
- £250 in loose change from our match day secretary (all bagged up and counted - that’s teachers for you!!)
- £10 as a thank you to the barreleers for their hard work. We thought about taking it to the Swan but Mike Sherrard put it back into the collection!
- £10 from some Lincolnshire supporters with this note: "We took two of my son’s schoolfriends to the Matlock game last week, and although Peterborough fans, they were knocked out with the atmosphere. During the week they brought £5 each into school and asked that it be put into the barrels towards our new ground". Warms your cockles doesn’t it?
- The usual Ben Nevis of loose change which included £46 of copper - never was the saying "every penny counts" more relevent.
There were some euros, Mexican and Polish currency, which will give us a start for next season.

It’s with joy in our heart that the Barreleers/Buckateers sign off for the season, from what has been probably been one of the most pleasant duties at the football club. A reminder that we start again next season and we can all save our loose change and foreign stuff during the summer.

If we all save 10p a day and bring it along to the first home match, then that would be £10 each multiplied by say 500, and hey presto, abracadabra, izzy whizzy - £5,000 could be in the first collection.

Thanks again for all your support.