Newsletter 4

Dear Member,

As you quoted an email address on your application, this is the latest, electronic update of BairnsTrust activities.

You are cordially invited to attend the monthly BairnsTrust meeting in the Players' Lounge at the Falkirk Community Stadium on Monday 21st November 2005, KO 7.30pm.

There will be a full agenda for discussion, but if you have any concerns you wish to raise, please respond to either BairnsTrustWS@aol.com or post your query on the message board at our website and we will try to cover on the night.

Please note that the event may last up to 3 hours.

If you are unable to attend, the minutes from the meeting will appear on our website 7-10 days later for your perusal.

The BairnsTrust Committee are fully aware that you may have been experiencing difficulties logging onto our website recently. The current deal with the web provider has expired and renewal costs were proving prohibitive.

The Committee took the decision to seek an alternative host and are nearing completion on this. It is unfortunate that the previous company have hastily hijacked the "bairnstrust.co.uk" domain name and are using for their own advertising purposes.
The former site will be replicated and be online soon, possibly under .com or .org. The format and layout will then be revamped over the coming months.

An update on the Motherwell pricing situation from last month is that although the final draft of our letter has been posted and despite Motherwell's claim to reply to all correspondence within 3 days, we have received no reply! Interestingly a Committee member of Livingston's Supporters Trust spotted our concerns on our website and wishes to be briefed on any news ... as their supporters met similar cost of entry discrepancies at their Motherwell game. (It appears that Motherwell FC were charging less to home fans and that the family option was not available at the away end.)

Any reply will appear on our website in due course.

Pleased to now report that both major projects that were previously still to be instigated are now in an embryonic stage. The Former Players Association is off the ground and the Andy Lawrie Testimonial Committee has been swelled by BairnsTrust members.

A reminder that if you wish to stand for election to the BairnsTrust Committee for next year, again respond by one of the methods below.

Following the charity collection for "Children 1st" during the weekend of the Celtic match on Sunday 06/11/05, correspondence has been received from the Group Communications Department of Halifax Bank Of Scotland on behalf of Children 1st. They stated that:

"The Charity Weekend went really well overall. We had a fantastic welcome from all clubs and fans and each had put the effort into making all the arrangements go smoothly.

The raffle in hospitality at Falkirk raised just over £800 and overall from the six clubs involved, we raised a total of £6,822.44 which has been matched by the HBOS Foundation."

The free T-shirt/polo shirt for joining the Trust this season has now ended and after numerous prompts those members who have not collected theirs from our stall in the Main Stand concourse have been advised that theirs will now be sold on to raise further funds.

You may be interested to note that further to significant demand, we have a stock of the "Mighty Bairns 2005-06 Tour T-shirts" now available in WHITE. These will be sold at the stall to both BairnsTrust members and non-members at £10 each, for all sizes.

Our second "Social Event", a double comedian night went fairly well. Despite poor weather on the night nearly 50 people attended and enjoyed a manic set by David Goldie and lengthy stand up routine from Scotland's top female comedy entertainer Ann Jax. A highlight was our Trust Chairman going "toe to toe" with the Elvis impersonator ... in a "singing" stand-off!

Tickets for our forthcoming BairnsTrust/Bairns-Aid events can also be ordered/purchased at the our stall. Details of which are:

o Flash Harry The Ultimate Tribute to Queen, Thu 01/12/05 @ Best Western Park Hotel. £15 inc buffet. Doors open 7.30pm. Feel free to visit the band's website for further details www.flash-harry.co.uk

o BairnsTrust Christmas Dinner Dance & Cabaret, Fri 30/12/05, 7 for 7.30pm @ Grangemouth Town Hall. £25.

For more details on each of the above and more, please visit:
www.falkirkfc.co.uk/

Late news:

A Tour of the Falkirk Stadium on 6th & 7th December has just been announced. Adverts will be prominent on your next visit to the Falkirk Stadium.

If you would be willing to donate a raffle prize for any of our nights, please contact the Trust by either method below to arrange uplift.

Look forward to seeing you at these events.

As a one-off competition, please acknowledge this email by Monday 21/11/05 5pm to 'BairnsTrustWS@aol.com' to be entered into a free prize draw to win a ticket to one of our social events above.

Finally, you may have noticed in the press that Heart of Midlothian FC Supporters Trust are trying to get representation on their Board, concerned at the influence of their new foreign owners. This was the main reason Trusts were set up and you can be reassured that with our 2 members already in the Falkirk Boardroom a similar situation is unlikely at our club.

We wish the Hearts Trust all the best in achieving their aim.

Peter Jack
BairnsTrust Joint-Treasurer
www.bairnstrust.com

Contact methods:

a) Email to BairnsTrustWS@aol.com
b) Post your query on our message board
c) Visit the BairnsTrust stall located on the concourse in the Main Stand at home games.
d) Attendance at the monthly BairnsTrust meetings in the Players' Lounge at the Falkirk Community Stadium on the third Monday of the month, KO 7.30pm.