Catch-up: Robins Trust Update - September 2023

31st October 2023 — 8 minute read

Below is the email that was sent out to Robins Trust members on 30th September 2023:

Join the Trust to receive news and updates before anybody else.

Dear Robins Trust Member,

It’s fair to say it’s been an eventful few weeks; we've had some heated debates, hopeful hellos, reluctant goodbyes, and still no goals. Turbulent times usually provoke unease and analysis, and this period has been no different. The management of the Club, the Club board, and the role of the Trust, have all been discussed with vigour and passion out in the open.

As your Supporters' Trust, we welcome this debate. Let's keep that energy flowing, and direct it towards shaping a better future for a stronger club, rooted in our community and playing at the highest level in a stable and sustainable way.

The first thing we’d like to do is welcome all of the new members that have signed up over the past month – it’s fantastic to welcome you on board. You can find out who the board members of the Robins Trust are at the bottom of this newsletter, and if you have any ideas or questions, please don’t hesitate to contact us at: info@robinstrust.org

If any of our members, new or old, would like to get involved with running the Robins Trust on behalf of the membership, there are elections coming up alongside our AGM, more details below:

In this issue: • Update from Fan-Elected Director Dave Beesley • Robins Trust board update from Chair James Young • Fan's Forum, Robins Trust AGM and Board Elections • The Experience of Female Fans at Whaddon Road - Survey • Community Noticeboard • Who are the Robins Trust Board?

Thank you once again for your ongoing support - the Trust only exists with your commitment and dedication to the cause.

As always, our contact details are at the bottom of this email.

Update from Fan-Elected Director Dave Beesley

So September has been a month of changes.

With that I’d like to put on record my personal gratitude for Wade Elliott’s contribution to the success at CTFC.

Wade was pivotal in our League Two victory, and subsequent success in staying in the division for the longest period in our history.

Good luck Wade in your next venture.

Also, as I write this, the ink is still drying on Darrell Clarke’s new CTFC contract.

I am personally very excited to see this new era unfold. With a reputation for playing attacking football and forensic preparation, Darrell is a manager very much up my street (albeit my experience only extends to playing as Cheltenham on the Football Manager series of games)

Please join me in welcoming Darrell and let’s be patient while this new regime takes hold. I’m sure given a little time, we will start looking up the table. Off the pitch, the club and myself have obviously been dedicated to changing our fortunes on the pitch. But now is the time for introspection.

We've covered the work the Trust's work to improve communication elsewhere (including via this newsletter), but the Club has also been called into question in recent week over how we keep fans informed.

Both organisations recognised the need to do better in keeping our supporters informed; especially as misinformation breeds in a vacuum.

We will be looking inward at our processes in the coming weeks and months at how we can be better for you, and how we can work more harmoniously together too.

For obvious reasons, all of the Club board’s work has been related to the management changes over the past few weeks, but I look forward to updating you on further work in the next newsletter.

Robins Trust board update from Chair James Young

To say it has been an interesting month, would be something of an understatement.

I'll start with the good news - which is that a number of you will be reading this for the first time. Thank you for joining the Trust.

When things aren't going well on the pitch, it's only right and perhaps natural for all areas to be thrust under the microscope.

And yes, we are part of that focus. But I would like to think our members, and those who have decided to become members, have seen a recent improvement.

Prior to any of the on-field events of this season, the Trust board has been acutely aware of the need to for want of a better phrase 'up our game'.

This newsletter was one of those improvements, because we believe it's important to update our members on the Trust board's, and the FED's, work when we can.

The subject of communications has come up a lot over the last few weeks, with understandable focus on the managerial situation at the club.

For the first time since we elected our first FED in 2015, we took the step of releasing a statement from our FED following the departure of Wade Elliott and how the role fits in the process. You can read that statement here: https://www.robinstrust.org/posts/statement-from-fan-elected-director-dave-beesley/

It has been really good to join the debate on the Robins Nest Forum, and on social media to gauge opinions and to try to respond to questions.

One of those discussion points was 'what is the Trust for?' - a question that shows that we have struggled to get our message articulated as well as we like.

We are working to explain our vision and our mission and we hope to have something in place to share with supporters at our AGM in November.

As a Trust Member, if you would like to contribute anything to this exercise, please drop me a line at: chair@robinstrust.org

Fans' Forum, Robins Trust AGM and Board Elections

Remember, remember the 23rd of November!

It's the date we've put in the diary for the Trust's AGM - but far more importantly, for a Fans' Forum with the CTFC board and coaching staff.

At the time of writing we're still in the process of confirming a venue, as soon as we do we will confirm on our social media channels. It will also be confirmed in next month's newsletter.

There have been lots of opinions raised in recent weeks and we would really encourage anyone who has questions, for either the Club, the Trust, or both, to come to the forum.

And while the Forum will undoubtedly be the highlight of the evening, there is the small matter of the Trust AGM and elections too.

Anyone who is a member of the Trust can stand for election to the board and there are currently 12 places available on the board.

Board meetings take place online once a month, lasting around two hours, and we currently have board members in London, Cornwall and France, so geography is no barrier to membership.

Got to: https://www.robinstrust.org/agm-elections/ for full details of eligibility and the process to stand, and please do consider joining the board. The more active board members we have, the stronger the Trust can be.

Even if you don’t know any other Trust Members who could act as your proposers, please don’t see that as a hurdle. Contact us at: info@robinstrust.org, and we’ll be very happy to give you more information about what’s involved in being a board member. It’s a great way to connect with other Cheltenham fans and learn about how the Club operates, as well as being involved in discussions about things we can do to make things run even more smoothly.

The Experience of Female Fans at Whaddon Road - Survey

Thank you to everyone who took the time to complete the survey we ran in partnership with the Cheltenham Town Community Trust, HerGameToo and the Club to look at provisions for, and the experience of, female fans at Whaddon Road.

It was a survey with a specific aim, and we are pleased we were able to use the speedy responses. We hope to be able to report on some positive news regarding this in the coming months.

Watch this space, and thanks again.

The Cheltenham Town Community Noticeboard

On 10th September, Trust Board member Jaimie joined hosts Owen and Tom on the Robins Report podcast alongside club Director Murry Toms. This special edition of the pod discussed the issues behind Jenny Hancock stepping down as SLO and how the Club can improve the integration of the role in future. You can catch the episode here (Spotify): https://open.spotify.com/episode/3aPudkBansS5PBJo88VVRh - it’s also available on other podcast platforms

Who are the Robins Trust Board?

Please come and say hi if you see us home or away, we're always happy to answer any Trust related questions, discuss your ideas or just chat CTFC:

We are: