Back The Bees Campaign Off To Flying Start

Supporter's trust need to raise £1m to buy their club

The Brentford FC supporters’ trust, Bees United, has launched what is believed to be the UK’s largest football-related, targeted fundraising drive as it attempts to raise £1m in an attempt to buy the Club by September.

BU has launched the ‘Back the Bees’ campaign, asking individuals, groups and businesses to ‘Back’ the quest to raise the funds needed to negotiate the purchase of Altonwood Holdings’ majority stake in the Club.

The campaign is supported by a series of fundraising initiatives, ranging from sponsorship and partnership opportunities for businesses to a text number for individuals to give their backing to the campaign and a series of events throughout the summer aimed at securing the Club’s long-term future in Brentford. More details are available from the campaign website at www.backthebees.com.

Launching the campaign, Bees United chairman Brian Burgess said that it is vital that Bees United raises the £1m needed to exercise its option to by the Club by September: ‘Since Bees United became involved in the running of the Club we have turned the financial losses we inherited into trading profits, and have proven that the Club can operate as a viable business without the sale of Griffin Park. However unless we raise the funds to exercise the option by September, the Club could be sold to any individual or group who may not have the Club or the community’s best interests at heart.’

The Back the Bees campaign is being run by Bees United members Rod Gowers, one of the group who famously walked to Hartlepool for Bees United, and Chris Scott, a Bees United member and professional marketing adviser.

June 16, 2005