United Trust representatives Alan Steel, Frank Beattie and Norman Steel spoke to BBC Radio Cumbria on Friday evening about where the Trust is at present, the second part of those interviews, initially with Norman Steel and then latterly with Frank Beattie, are transcripted here :
" What the Trust has achieved in the last seven years Alan has already alluded to in the sense that we have raised £800,000, all of which has gone into the football club. One of the senior officials in the club actually acknowledged that £800,000 had gone a long way to securing the long term future of the club. In addition, I don't want to repeat what Alan has said really, but we have been successful in protecting a valuable company asset because that is what we strongly believe was the way to go at the time.
" The assertion that the Trust has only got 70 members in the press last Tuesday is absolute nonsense. We are currently sat at around 300 members but it is increasing daily. We are at that time of year when everyone is renewing their membership for the following year or several years in advance, and some people are just lazy with them coming in. Certainly though, the membership as we sit this evening is in the region of 300.
" We haven't approached the club to rebuild bridges yet, we are still in the infancy of the takeover and I would be hopeful that in the next few weeks items like that will be put on an agenda for a meeting, there is room for discussion. Let me make it quite clear that we are not trying to run the club, I have in my hand a copy of the original launch brochure and it demonstrates in there that the two main objectives of the Trust. One, to get a meaningful shareholding and two to get supporter representation on the main board of the football club. We have achieved both of those, we want to work alongside new owners with a view to taking the club forward to higher levels.
" I can confirm that the Trust don't run the supporters club buses, they are two separate organisations. One has a formally elected board and the other has a committee. At some point in the future there may, and I stress may, be the opportunity to have both of those organisations under the same umbrella. At this moment in time though there is no truth in the fact that they are one and the same thing at all.
" I'd sooner not answer your question of what influence I have in the boardroom if I may not. I can confirm that there is a mechanism in place to protect the Trust's 25.37% shareholding at the moment. As and when shares become available the Trust gets the opportunity via that mechanism to protect its 25.37% shareholding."
" Financially we have just got rid of a lot of the legal expenses shall I say, we are now beginning to make money again and in the future I see no reason why that money cannot go towards the football club. I don't anticipate the Trust selling the shares on ever happening, they belong to the Trust so effectively they belong to the supporters.
" That is what we set out in 2001 to achieve, that meaningful shareholding and I don't see the opportunity arising to sell the shares at all. Getting rid of the holding company and selling the shares in the club to Carlisle United fans, that idea was discussed both with John Courtenay and tentatively with Mr Story. I don't know is the honest answer to that, that one is somewhere down the line.
" Hopefully with the blessing of the other owners the Trust can play a huge part in the future of the football club. We feel that we have a definite role to play and we look forward to being able to do that. On a positive note, if I could just finish with, optimism is high for all supporters at this time of the year. I would like to urge all the Carlisle United supporters to get behind John Ward, Greg (Abbott), Dennis (Booth) and all the lads as we look forward to Saturday week down at Bristol Rovers.
" If the fans want to have their say then please come and join us, that is the obvious way to come and have your say. You can download an application form on our website or get in touch with any board member and they will be happy to supply you with an application form. Our website is www.united-trust.org.uk.
" Can I alert supporters to a social event that we have organised for Friday the 15th of August which is the night before the opening home game. Harraby Catholic Club, 7.30pm, you get your supper thrown in, two bands, various live entertainment, and all for £8 and you can't go wrong with that. "
Frank Beattie
" I suppose really that the question of the club being happy to see the Trust raise funds for it should be directed at the new owners. We are prepared to work with them, we want to raise funds for the club, to help the club in the community and we are prepared to do whatever it takes. We raised £800,000 previously, I have been reminded that the figure is actually probably in excess of that and nearer £1 million.
" The point is that the help is there from the Independent Supporters Trust, it is there from the Carlisle United supporters club, and yet in the past the club has turned this down. We want to work with the new owners, are they prepared to work with us, that is a question for them.
" Throughout the country the effectiveness of the Trusts generally are reflected by the board members of that club being willing to work with the Trusts. If people will work with the Trusts they have a situation where the monies raised, like Ebbsfleet and clubs like Oldham. The money that can be generated from supporters is quite a lot.
" Running football clubs these days is an expensive business, the wages that players are paid, we are into the credit crunch at the moment according to the media. People will find it more and more difficult to actually attend football games, it is only with the involvement of Trusts that clubs are going to be able to function, apart from probably the top ten clubs in the Premier League.
" When you look at the Trusts in the country though, and there are 150, and 13 of those actually either own the clubs or part-own the clubs that they are involved in. The ones that are running successfully are running successfully because the owners of those clubs want to work with them. I believe that it has been mentioned by the current board of the club that they will work with anyone who wants to work in the interests of the football club. Well this Trust wants to work in the interests of the football club and the community at large. "