On Tuesday 25th November the Notts County Supporters Trust held its dinner-auction at the Royal Moat House International Hotel – the latest event in its fundraising endeavours to help reach the minimum target of £250,000.

The professional manner in which the event was organised was testimony to the hard work of a small group of volunteers, in particular Ken Carter, Martin Naylor, Richard Stanton and Stephen Thompson (otherwise known as the ‘gang of four’), Shuna Thomason, and Sharon Bowbanks who all deserve special praise.

The quality and range of items for sale meanwhile – including numerous items of sporting memorabilia, including a piece of the Meadow Lane pitch, a signed Roy Keane shirt and a 1990 Notts County club blazer specially produced for the Magpies’ first ever trip to Wembley – demonstrated the generosity of those that wished to do their bit to help ensure the world’s oldest professional League club has a future. A number of former players, including Craig Short, Dean Yates, Ooh Tommy Johnson, ‘Charlie’ McParland, and Steve Cherry were also present (with many of them also donating prizes) to help add their support.

Radio Nottingham’s Colin Slater was the MC for the night, helping to set the scene by asking for those in attendance to give generously and help the Supporters Trust.

Guest speaker Paul Hart helped reflect the goodwill from across the river, wishing his former club a secure future and recounting tales from his playing days. 106 Century FM’s Darren Fletcher was the auctioneer, endeavouring to eek every last pound from bidders, who on occasions were bidding against themselves.

A list of the auction items and their prices are below:

Signed Nottingham Forest shirt - £200
Meadow Lane penalty spot - £110
Signed Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink shirt - £700
Auld Firm tickets - £200
Signed Don Masson Scotland shirt - £170
Bayern Munich match ball - £100
Signed Eidur Gudjohnsen shirt - £420
Champions League tickets - £430
BMI baby tickets £450
Legends football phone-in - £150
£2000's worth of work by Fascia Mania - £750
Signed England shirt (Sven and Tord Grip) - £330
Signed Stuart Pearce England Shirt - £500
Sunderland match tickets / hospitality - £210
Full kit / 7 a side goals & nets - £400
Blackburn Rovers vs Manchester United tickets - £230
Signed Juan Sebastian Veron shirt - £900
Trip to London / House of Commons/Lords - £260
Signed Damien Duff boots - £500
Cricket Goodies - £170
Signed Tommy Johnson England U-21 shirt - £350
Signed Roy Keane Man United shirt - £700
Notts County Club Blazer - Wembley 1990 - £340
Bottle of Queen Mother whiskey - £670
Council House tour - £110
Special edition FA Cup shirt signed by Ferguson / Wenger - £300
Nottingham Forest match tickets / hospitality - £190
Signed Notts shirt (past players) - £500
Signed Craig Short Blackburn shirt (Worthington.Cup Final vs Spurs) - £300
Signed Frank Lampard shirt - £1250
Chelsea & Notts shirts framed - £1100
Jimmy Logan birth / death certificates framed - £1100

In addition to the main auction, there was a ‘silent auction’ running concurrently. Here, another thirty items – including Michael Johnson’s boots, a signed Nottingham Panthers shirt, a framed 1990 Play-Off final photo montage and a signed Newcastle United shirt – were laid out, which guests were asked to write down bids for.

The evening was capped off with the surprise announcement by Nottingham City and Nottinghamshire County Council’s that they would be donating £15,000 apiece to help the Supporters’ Trust reach their target.

All in all, it was a hugely enjoyable and memorable evening, made all the better by being in the company of some of the greatest names to grace Meadow Lane. Oh and we reached our minimum target of £250,000.

Regards,

David Hindley
Chair, NCST

Another tremendous effort at fund raising - congratulations to all the organisers and collectors of items to auction. Thanks to all who bid generously.

The raising of the minimum £250k is a tremendous achievement for the Trust, Notts fans, residents of Nottingham and football fans all over the country. We may not have the biggest fan base but we've shown the world something about ourselves by this tremendous effort.

Hope a final rush of raffle sales can result in an even bigger total, we're going to need every penny as we. hopefully, move on to the harsh realities beyond administration.

Some photos from the night are on the Trust website now.

Click Here

Nigel King
Notts County Supporters Trust
Secretary