shrimps trust

[dazza]

i dont mean to sound derogatory here about the trust and i mean this in good faith

but am i the only person not really understanding what the trust are actually bringing
i know in the past there was some good intentions re fencing around the training pitch back in jims days , i believe they are involved with the hall of fame , but i really dont get all this call that as morecambe fans we should all be part of the trust im struggling to see what its bringing , ok i accept its highlighted a bit of the plight on talk sport but thats achieved nothing , the reality is we can do nothing about what the owner wants to do with the club , it seems to me a bit of a commitee of halo stand regulars ,
did i also see that the trust recently sponsored a match ? who pays for that if so and who decides who attends ?
i agree theres a god job going on re away travel but couldnt that just be reffered to as a supporters club coach ?
im honestly not trying to belittle it but im struggling to see what can be achieved here

[redrobo]

There may be a tendency with such groups to become little more than a talking shop. Now not for a single minute am I suggesting that our Trust has or may fall into that category but I would like to see a wee bit more visual evidence of an action performed by the Trust.

Nothing substantial and nothing of significant cost but a few posts ago I suggested that the front of the Maz was looking a bit tired and to improve its visual appearance the Trust could organize a small working part one Sunday to undertake some painting of doors and other areas that have started to look their age.

The cost of paint is not that substantial and I'm more than willing to provide some finance towards its purchase.

The Trust are rightly doing their utmost to assist in any way it can to secure a purchase of our club despite the lack of communication from the current owner. And by the communication from the Trust to date they have certainly raised the profile of any sale and good on them.

But a simple task as suggested above is a way to provide visual evidence to the entire Shrimps family of its importance to OUR club as it moves forward to a brighter future hopefully under a new and more committed owner than the current incumbent.

[Old Man Kensey]

There may be a tendency with such groups to become little more than a talking shop. Now not for a single minute am I suggesting that our Trust has or may fall into that category but I would like to see a wee bit more visual evidence of an action performed by the Trust.

Nothing substantial and nothing of significant cost but a few posts ago I suggested that the front of the Maz was looking a bit tired and to improve its visual appearance the Trust could organize a small working part one Sunday to undertake some painting of doors and other areas that have started to look their age.

The cost of paint is not that substantial and I'm more than willing to provide some finance towards its purchase.

The Trust are rightly doing their utmost to assist in any way it can to secure a purchase of our club despite the lack of communication from the current owner. And by the communication from the Trust to date they have certainly raised the profile of any sale and good on them.

But a simple task as suggested above is a way to provide visual evidence to the entire Shrimps family of its importance to OUR club as it moves forward to a brighter future hopefully under a new and more committed owner than the current incumbent.

Did you contact the Trust about painting? Or just post on here?
They have previously asked for members and fans to contact them directly as they don't respond directly to social media. Quite a sensible approach given how fast social media can end in bickering and topics and meanings get lost.

[redrobo]

Yes I did contact the Trust on the 24th October by email but understandably they have been busy with more important matters such as working with the BoDs to secure a sale of OUR club.

[dazza]

now heres my point..... how are they working to secure a sale of the club,,, they have no more say in anything that the pie man , and as the board say they have also have no say in the sale , its purely down to the owners greed

[Hodgie1978]

Which email did you use?
They've changed them

[marky No.1]

Which email did you use?
They've changed them

There's a sticky at the top of this page with contact details, but it hasn't been updated

[Keith]

but am i the only person not really understanding what the trust are actually bringing

im honestly not trying to belittle it but im struggling to see what can be achieved here

What do you think the Trust should be doing, but aren't?

[redrobo]

Which email did you use?
They've changed them

hello@shrimpstrust.co.uk

[Hodgie1978]

Try chair@shrimpstrust.co.uk

[BHmfc]

If you support Morecambe Football Club you should join the Trust. The more members they have the more money they have for a fighting fund. It also puts them in a stronger position when communicating with other parties if they have say,1500 members, rather than 500 members. As for deciding what they do, I've been to a couple of meetings where they ask members for their views and then have a vote. It's certainly not just one or two committee members deciding the way forward. If you really do support the Shrimps, spend a tenner, go to meetings, have your say and hopefully help the club out of this situation we are now in.

[fulwoodshrimp]

I think the new committee of the Trust are working hard at an impossibly difficult time for our club.

[dazza]

but am i the only person not really understanding what the trust are actually bringing

im honestly not trying to belittle it but im struggling to see what can be achieved here

What do you think the Trust should be doing, but aren't?

_———————————————————————————————-
I don’t have the answers but I think it’s more of a supporters club scenario than anything else
Someone else mentions a fighting fund ? To fund what ? A takeover bid. Let’s be realistic that’s not happening ,if the board have no say I’m sure a trust has no say in the short term future
Ok if a sale goes through there maybe a harmonious relationship between new owners and trust , or if there has to be a new co the money may come in handy to pay manager /players but I’m sure that would be a very limited budget , as I say I’m not knocking the trust. I just don’t see anything other than a supporters club type scenario personally speaking .maybe if a sale goes through it may change

[Wild Bill]

I think the trust really is doing what it can and seems to be getting more organised and better at communicating. Like others have said though, it really needs more members and more volunteers to take it to the next level. If every regular fan joined, it would have some serious leverage with any owner of the club.

[Phoenix Shrimp 2017]

I think the trust really is doing what it can and seems to be getting more organised and better at communicating. Like others have said though, it really needs more members and more volunteers to take it to the next level. If every regular fan joined, it would have some serious leverage with any owner of the club.

Agree with this. I can't understand why any regular fan hasn't joined the trust. It can't be a cost thing at just a tenner for 12 months so maybe it's just a case of cba.

Personally I've found them very good of late. I e-mailed them and got a reply the same day. When very little is coming directly from the club then the trust have been sending out regular communications about all sorts of club related things. When you read it you will see just what the trust are involved with, but to read it you need to be a member and on the e-mailing list!

Just remember they are all volunteers and doing their absolute best to move the club forward amongst what sometimes seems an absolute sea of negativity.

[Old Man Kensey]

If you think in terms of value for money the Trust actually provide an awful lot.
Just 19p a week over the course of a year!

For me one of the biggest benefits, even though I don't use it, is the away travel they provide. Anyone that has ever tried to run coach trips will know just how much it costs and all the other headaches that go with it. It frees up the club from having the problem, would they take it back on if the Trust stopped, bearing in mind that you really don't make a penny out of it?

Secondly the work that the Trust has put in to the Football Governance Bill could be worth its weight in gold in the long term. Hopefully bringing some of the game back to the fans and making ownership issues more transparent. Hopefully resulting in no one else ending up in our position.

Add in the constant stream of communications under the new look Trust and I'm more than happy with my 19p a week subs.

[Phoenix Shrimp 2017]

Agreed. Running organised transport to away games is a major headache and is just one thing the trust are now involved with. Getting circa 200 to Worthing (horrendous journey) was a creditable effort aided in no small part by the trust transport.

[Phoenix Shrimp 2017]

This morning the trust circulated the following to members. I thought it was worthwhile copying it onto here as just one example of their ongoing work to try and secure a future for town football in Morecambe.

In July 2024, the Shrimps Trust launched a campaign entitled ‘Save Our Shrimps’. The aim of this was to raise a fund that could be used should Morecambe Football Club fail as a company.
The initial fund raised circa £28,000 and the Trust will continue to raise into this fund on an ongoing basis.
The below lays out the appropriate use of those funds. This will be reviewed on an annual basis and signed by the Trustees of the Shrimps Trust to reflect the agreement.
Any and all funds raised in relation to the ‘Save Our Shrimps campaign’ will be ringfenced separately from general use funds, for the sole purpose of being used in the event of Morecambe FC entering administration or liquidation.
This fund will only be used as a ‘fighting fund’ for any costs (legal or otherwise) to ensure that a football club can exist in Morecambe.
Until such time that there is true and sustained stability at Morecambe FC, these funds and any funds subsequently raised MUST NOT be used for any other purpose.

This policy was signed and agreed by the Trust board in October. The campaign is still accepting donation and can be found here.

This is just one example of the work they are carrying out. I have contributed a small amount to the fund and I would like to imagine that should the unthinkable happen I and many others would be back with much more to assist with getting a club up and running again.

PS. Their communication did have an active link to the ongoing fund which has not copied over. It's on the Go Fund Me website under Save Our Shrimps.

[vvm]

They're not that bad and since the new board has been elected things seem to have improved. Communication for one has improved massively.

I think the latest update indicated around 600-700 members. £10 a head that's only a £6000-£7000 budget for the year. That won't go that far if it's not spent wisely.

[black morse]

They're not that bad and since the new board has been elected things seem to have improved. Communication for one has improved massively.

I think the latest update indicated around 600-700 members. £10 a head that's only a £6000-£7000 budget for the year. That won't go that far if it's not spent wisely.

I feel confident that with this Shrimps Trust committee it will be spent wisely.

[Hodgie1978]

Should the unthinkable happen. We are in a totally different position to what Bury found themselves in.
I honestly do not believe we'd fall as far down the ladder with what our Trust has put in place.

[black morse]

Should the unthinkable happen. We are in a totally different position to what Bury found themselves in.
I honestly do not believe we'd fall as far down the ladder with what our Trust has put in place.

Exactly. Hope for the best but prepare for the worst! That's what the Trust have done.

[Keith]

Someone else mentions a fighting fund ? To fund what ? A takeover bid. Let’s be realistic that’s not happening ,if the board have no say I’m sure a trust has no say in the short term future

Totally agree that a take-over bid is entirely unrealistic, and the fund is not for that purpose. However, if we go under, then we need to be ready, to ensure we're able to continue at some level.

[black morse]

I've just read the minutes of the Trust members meeting. A bit disappointing that there was no consensus regarding next moves after the Port Vale match. We really do need to pull together on specific actions.

[KenH]

Totally agree that a take-over bid is entirely unrealistic, and the fund is not for that purpose. However, if we go under, then we need to be ready, to ensure we're able to continue at some level.

I agree. A takeover of MFC Limited is unrealistic at the current time. BUT, if MFC Limited do go into administration, then we need a "vehicle" to move swiftly to talk to the administrators towards taking over the "football club" side of the company, i.e. basically just the EFL status! The football side is probably worth very little (when you remove the ground/land), so it may well be possible to "buy" it from the administrators/liquidators at an affordable price. The stadium and ground is a completely different thing. The "club" doesn't need to play at the stadium and could possibly play elsewhere if some kind of deal can't be agreed to continue to "rent" the stadium from the administrators. As far as I know, there's no real reason why MFC (the football club) have to play their games at the Mazuma if they could find another ground that complied with EFL rules, at least in the short term. Once it becomes apparent to the administrators/liquidators that they can't do anything else with the stadium, they may well become more amenable to massively reduce the asking price they want for the freehold areas and leasehold buildings, or may we willing to rent them to the football club at a reasonable cost.

It's a massive risk to "assume" that the BOD or that the much rumoured local business owners consortium would buy it themselves from the administrators/liquidators. I'm sure that's what we all hope would happen and that the BOD have a robust "Plan B" ready for action if administration happened, but we can't rely on that, so it's good to have a vehicle, such as the Trust, ready in the background if necessary.

If administration/liquidation happens, all bets are off really. Previous "values" become irrelevant and administrators/liquidators are often only interested in quick sales of assets and usually have no interest in having to run "the business" themselves. The more options we have, the better.