In the last year, through the Bluebirds Trust, YOU contributed to the supporters’ stake in Barrow AFC, raising an incredible £50,000.

This gave us a start on a new and exciting journey, in partnership with the new board of directors and much has been achieved.

The initial investments stabilised the club, got us through the season and we arrived ready to compete in 2019/20. There were many hidden, inherited costs which were dealt with.

Holker Street needed investment and the board set about finding ways to do that, in partnership with the Trust, the Maintenance Group and the wider support. There have been many improvements and more are to come, with new crush barriers and a roof on the Holker Street End.

Also, with grants, we are building a supporters bar within the ground itself. It’s vital we improve the income streams as a group. It’s more positive change than the ground has seen in decades.

Investment in the playing squad was maintained and then added to, with tremendous results. We are top of the league at present, we needed to protect our assets on the pitch with improved contracts and also support a very talented manager. And we need to go again.

To do all of that costs money and to maintain our stake and invest in these improvements means we, as a Trust, on behalf of YOU, our members and the wider support need to raise a further £65,000, to match the investment from the rest of the board and help our team strengthen.

We will be able to find some of that money from our normal activities, but not all. Please go to www.bluebirdstrust.co.uk for more information. It explains our thinking, answers questions and also offers a way to contribute.

Along with owning a percentage of our football club comes responsibility and as a support we need to decide and indicate how much we want to play your part financially.

Many of you will have seen the video now, where Ian Evatt helps set out the vision for the way ahead.

Our belief, as The Bluebirds Trust, is we should embrace this challenge together. We contribute to a better ground; with better facilities and a united fan base, with a real say. We support a fantastic team and manager within touching distance of greatness. If not now, when?

Let’s play our part together.

*There was disappointment last Saturday when another game was cancelled, this time at Solihull Moors.

On top of the FA Trophy replay and a rearrangement to come against Dover, more fixtures are not something that Barrow really need as we push for promotion into the Football League.

The hardy band of travellers who made it to Ramsden Square for buses which never came were warmed by two urns of Chris Altree’s mulled wine before decamping into the Ambrose to devour the traditional ‘Christmas Bus’ buffet.

From there, we were able to spend the afternoon grazing on sausage rolls and filling in a record EIGHT of Andy Leitch’s football cards while watching – not for the first time – every result go our way as the teams around us struggle to keep pace.

The Bluebirds now find themselves astride the non-league pyramid at Christmas, two points clear with two games in hand.

The old adage that it’s better to have points on the board than games in hand may well be true, but for real festive cheer I recommend having both.

We now enter a key period of the season where games will come at a rate of two or more per week.

Fitness and luck will play as much a part as our excellent playing style, so let’s all hope we’ve been very good this year and make sure that ‘promotion’ is front and centre on our letters to Santa.

*As Ian Evatt said in a recent message, ‘Barrow is more than just a football club’ and the activities in the week running up to Christmas have certainly shown this.

We were, once again, overwhelmed by the community spirit shown by everyone involved in collecting for the Foodbank this year.

In fact, as a local community our success was such that we spread out our donations to include other community and church groups providing food and support for those in need at Christmas.

I would estimate it will equate to around 1,000 meals altogether.

As well as the Foodbank, you have helped other community organisations who support and feed people both at Christmas and indeed throughout the year.

Schools and individuals, with contributions large and small, worked with the club to match and distribute this throughout the area. It once again shows what Furness is all about.

We have been talking a lot this week about ‘playing your part’ and from the smallest child bringing in a tin of beans, to the wonderful individual anonymous donations, this has taken place.

Volunteer delivery drivers, teachers, the organisations themselves and our football club, we have shown what can be achieved together.