Welcome to the homepage of shiretrust.

A new era has begun at East Stirlingshire F.C. where there can now be greater co-operation between supporters and directors. Both have a common purpose - to find a new permanent home for the club and to rebuild the football reputation of the `Shire.

Thankfully, the discredited Alan Mackin regime - responsible for taking the club to record breaking lows, including the infamous £10 a week player wage, which badly tarnished its reputation finally ended in May 2008.

However the price that was paid to change this regime was to separate the football club from its Firs Park ground, effectively leaving Alan Mackin in control of the ground and Spencer Fearn in control of the club. The `Shire is now a tenant at Ochilview Park; home of local rivals Stenhousemuir F.C. for a period of up to 5 years.

shiretrust now has the task of supporting Spencer in his endevours to provide a viable future for the Shire and doing what ever it can to help ensure that this future is at a venue not too far removed from Firs Park.

In this site you will find information as to the aims and desires of shiretrust along with pieces on how to contact us, how to make donations and also minutes of meetings etc to keep you up to date on what is happening.

On the left hand side of each page are links to message boards, other Shire websites and the main Supporters Direct web site from where you can access all of the Supporters Trust web sites in Scotland and England together with an e-mail link so that you can leave personal messages.

Jan 20 2010

We are pleased to announce that shiretrust have again made a sizeable investment in East Stirlingshire FC to assist the club sign a player in the January transfer window. The player will provide useful competition in defence and strengthen the squad for the remainder of the season.

Dec 10 2009

Shiretrust Statement on Discussions with Spencer

The shiretrust Committee were recently approached by `Shire Vice Chairman and major shareholder Spencer Fearn in order to discuss the future of East Stirlingshire FC. These discussions involved the possibility of shiretrust playing a bigger role in the running of the club. Although it is now a moot point as to how this news became public knowledge and where it originated from, I want to assure everyone that the shiretrust committee members took firm steps to make sure that our dealings in this matter were kept entirely confidential. Our discussions with Spencer have given us some useful insights into the running of our club and as a Trust we hope to be able to play a more direct role in the future.

Ian Ramsay (shiretrust Chairman)

Dec 04 2009

The joint race night was held on friday 20th and despite a low turnout it still raised approx £400.
On behalf of shiretrust and the `Shire Supporters Club we want to thank all those that bid for items, put up prizes, sponsored races, bought horses, bought raffle tickets, placed bets and most of all those that made the effort to attend on the night.

Nov 02 2009

Supporters Race Night

Shiretrust and the Official Supporters Club are jointly hosting a race night on Friday 20th November, 7.30pm at the Auld Toll Tavern in Grangemouth (Dalgrain Road). There will be an auction of interesting items,a raffle and the usual `Shire social mix to enjoy. Everyone is invited to come down, have a flutter and good a time while helping both supporters organisations.

Aug 09 2009

To save time and spread out administration work shiretrust are changing the way that Trust memberships are renewed to rolling monthly renewal. From now on members will be asked to renew in seperate groups each month - the actual month will usually be on or close to when the member joined shiretrust or last renewed. For example a member joining in December will normally be asked to renew their membership next December. However if a member still wishes to pay his membership before he receives a renewal notice we will natutrally be glad to accept it! 

July 02 2009

We are pleased to announce that this summer shiretrust have again made a substantial investment in East Stirlingshire FC to assist the club to bring in new players and to keep the good ones already here.

Looking back over the last two years the club have come a very long way - finally ending a sequence of bottom of the table finishes and making a serious challenge for promotion by qualifying for the play-offs last season. shiretrust want to help East Stirlingshire FC consolidate their newly restored respect and status in Scottish football and hope to see them challenge for promotion once again in the new season.

In 2007 it would have been difficult to imagine being in the league play-offs, forming a relationship of trust and friendship with the board and see everyone associated with the club pulling together as one. However even in these relatively `good times` it is important to remember that there are still difficult challenges ahead - a tough new economic climate to contend with and the club still without a home of its own. It is fair to say that through its members, committee and friends, shiretrust has played a part in the revival of the `Shire and with their help, will continue to advise, work for, donate to and give support to our club.

June 17 2009

Please find a brief report of shiretust AGM at this link

May 29 2009

Notice of Annual General Meeting for the East Stirlingshire Supporters Society (shiretrust)

The meeting will take place on Monday 15th June 2009 in the Thornhill Community Centre (a few minutes walk from Firs Park), Thornhill Road, Falkirk at 7.30pm.

Members who require assistance or directions should contact the committee by e-mail at shiretrust@aol.com or phone the chairman, Ian Ramsay on (01324)711788.

Apr 20 2009

shiretrust were well represented at the `Shire AGM on Friday 17th and member Robert Johnston was chosen to carry the Trusts 10 share votes to the meeting. In a break with tradition going back many years there was an upbeat mood with some interesting points raised and not a tantrum in sight!. Alan Mackin was there as a representative of the B shareholders but he did not speak on the night. The financial statements showed a healthy profit and no debt although it was acknowleged the club would have to continue working hard to keep itself in the black.

Majority shareholder Spencer revealed that it is costing the club a lot of money to stay at Firs Park using it just as an office and training ground. That cost is now thought to be excessive and the club will be looking to completely move out of Firs Park this summer. An office somewhere in the town will be sought and alternative training facilities will be arranged.
 
During the meeting many congratulated the board - especially majority shareholder Spencer Fearn - on totally transforming the club in a short space of time from perennial losers to one on the verge of the division 2 play-offs. Congratulations were also offered to manager Jim McInally and his players for taking the club to heights not experienced by supporters for well over a decade.

Apr 2 2009

It has been confirmed the AGM of East Strilingshire FC will be held on Friday 17th April at the  Park Lodge Hotel, Arnot Hill, Falkirk at 7pm.

It will be the 1^st AGM since Spencer Fearn (now the majority shareholder) led a takeover of the old Alan Mackin/ Alex McCabe dominated board in May 2008. We expect a more focused discussion and a better standard of" behaviour than in previous years! Some shareholders may find they cannot attend the meeting for various reasons and sometimes shiretrust is in a position to offer our members the chance to attend (if they are not shareholders) by carrying these shareholders proxy votes. If you wish to attend using this method or are a shareholder willing to have a trust member carry a proxy vote to the meeting, please contact shiretrust by writing to our address, e-mailing us (see `contact us` section) or by phoning the chairman, Ian Ramsay, on 01324 711788.

Mar 9th 2009

`Shire supporters have survived the last 6 years of almost continual crisis, doubts over the future of the club and even its right to be in the Scottish Football League. With our recent experience of troubled times (now fortunately behind us) we can appreciate how devastating it can be for a club and its supporters to face a threat to its very existance. The recent news about the possibility of Stranraer FC going bankrupt and its supporters struggle to help them stay afloat is something that we at shiretrust can empathise with. The shiretrust committee have agreed to make a small donation to `The Friends of Stranraer FC Trust Fund` and to give them some advice and show solidarity with fellow supporters in their time of crisis. We believe it is important to show that supporters and their organisations are not inherantly selfish and we wish The Friends of Stranraer FC well in their fight to save their club. For those interested in more information see the link below:
 

http://www.savestranraerfc.co.uk/

Feb 10th 2009

Shiretrust are now actively investing money in East Stirlingshire FC to support the club in buying better players and keeping the good ones we already have. To help us sustain this level of support we need more regular income from our weekly lottery - join Zebra Lottery today & get a £10 voucher you can spend in the club shop.

Why we are stepping up recruitment for Zebra Lottery? shiretrust have managed to build up a decent amount of money over the last 4 years from prudent saving and from some generous donations. Although we are making pretty big investments to assist our club with players, once we have used our funds in this way we will not have a lot left. Since the loss of the Firs Park pie shop (which was a big earner for shiretrust) we don’t have a big income to build our funds back up quickly - this means the amount we can invest in the club on players will fall quite a lot at some point next season.
The trust committee see zebra Lottery as our best bet for increasing income to rebuild our funds. Help us invest in our club by playing Zebra Lottery and you also get the chance to win big.

Zebra Lottery is only £1 a week to play with a range of prizes from £5 all the way up to £25,000. Our lottery provider is Unity, a company that directly collects your stake money, runs the lottery and gives out the prizes. From your £1 weekly stake 50p goes to Unity and 50p will go to shiretrust.

Get a £10 club shop voucher when you join Zebra Lottery:

The voucher is available to anyone who joins Zebra Lottery from Feb 2009 and pays by standing order. How to join + claim your voucher:
•Players must be aged 16 or over
•Collect a shiretrust Unity lottery leaflet from the club shop or e-mail or write to the addresses on this letter and ask us to send you one
•Fill in and tear off the joining slip on the leaflet – remember to make your payments by standing order
•Post the joining slip to Unity (already addressed)
•We will then confirm your payment to Unity – this can take about a month
•Once your payment has been confirmed we will send you the £10 club shop voucher

 

Jan 17th 2009

We are pleased to announce that shiretrust will make a substantial investment in East Stirlingshire FC to assist the club bring in new players . The shiretrust committee have decided to make this investment now for the following reasons:

 

• Because we have a Trust director on the `Shire board in Tony Ford and a good understanding with majority shareholder Spencer Fearn our relations with the club have never been better. With the change of regime at the club in 2008 and a good measure of trust between the `Shire board and Trust committee we feel the time is right to invest some Trust money in the club to help improve the team.

 

• We believe the `Shire is well positioned to mount a serious attempt to finish the season in the top half of the league table (with an outside chance of a play-off position) which would be a massive improvement on results in recent years. We consider this a very important goal for our club as achieving it would greatly help to rebuild its standing as a football club and its reputation in general. Not only would this help reverse a lot of the negative publicity the club has suffered in recent years but we also hope it would allow the club to attract more of the better players that would not have considered signing for the `Shire before.

 

• The time to invest money in players is when you have a good manager who can spend that money wisely to get the best players at the best value for the club. We consider Jim McInally to be the best manager at the `Shire for many years and believe it is right to trust his judgement on new players for the club.

Dec 21st 2008

At this festive time of year shiretrust has often donated money to local `good causes`. This year, in memory of the late Linda Stewart, we decided it would be fitting to consult her parents (who are also Trust members) on what local `good cause` she would have thought appropriate for us to contribute to. With their approval we are pleased to confirm that shiretrust will donate £100 to Strathcarron Hospice which is based at the former home of the owner of Carrongrove Paper Mill, Fankerton in nearby Denny.

Dec 04 2008

We bring the sad news that stalwart `Shire supporter Linda Stewart died on Friday 28th November. Those that knew her were aware of her continuing health problems that had become more serious in the last 18 months. Her funeral will be held at Falkirk Crematorium on Friday 5th December at 1.30pm.

Initially Linda worked as a volunteer in the Firs Park tea room serving players and guests. Many will remember her as an energetic woman who was determined, fond of plain speaking and who had a passion for East Stirlingshire F.C.
Linda played an important role as a supporter - her drive and determination were pivotal in helping successfully re-start organised `Shire supporter activity in 2000 after some abortive attempts in the previous decade. She saw the threat Alan Mackin posed to the club earlier than most and knew only with a bit of organisation could supporters hope to make any impression on what was happening to the `Shire at the time. She helped start up the Official `Shire Supporters Club in 2000 and served as its Secretary before standing down in 2005 to become shiretrust Secretary. She served a term on the shiretrust committee before standing down due to health problems. We are saddened to lose her but are consoled that she saw the club finally rid of Mackin and the team avoid the wooden spoon on the last day of the 2007/08 season.

R.I.P. Linda

Nov 04 2008

The shiretrust committee are delighted to award Special Honorary Membership to legendary `Shire player, captain and Trust member Gordon `Rusty` Russell. Gordon made a record number of appearances for the `Shire and scored the winning penalty in the Stirlingshire Cup final in 2000 - the clubs last trophy win. Since leaving us in 2002 he has been one of the few ex-players to show his continuing support for the club and its fans by being an ordinary shiretrust member since our beginning in 2004. Although flattered to receive our offer of honorary membership `Rusty` asked if he could also continue to be able to vote and pay his membership fee. The shiretrust committee decided to create the Special Honorary Membership for him which allows this. We are grateful to have such a respected and committed individual in our organisation.

Aug 12 2008

We now ask everyone to renew their membership of shiretrust (or join!) to help us play a part in what will hopefully be a resurgence in the fortune of East Stirlingshire F.C. Although supporters and club face the problem of not having a home ground of our own, at least we can all work together to try and resolve this in the next few years.

The renewal fee is unchanged at £10 for adult and £5 for under 16`s, OAP, student and unemployed. You can renew by the following means:

  1) If you have a standing order with us it will be collected automatically.

  2) You can send a cheque by post for the amount (payable to shiretrust), to

    Shiretrust, PO Box 21654, Falkirk, FK2 7XN.

  3) You can pay the amount in person by cheque or cash to any committee members - Ian Ramsay, Ian Fleming, Drummond Calder, Tadek Kopszywa, Tony Ford, Mark Batham, Graham Stevenson, Andrew Miller or Grant McDowall.

  If you have access to the internet and want shiretrust to contact you in this way instead of letters please email us on shiretrust@aol.com  giving your name and mentioning `Contact` on your email. This will help us reduce paper and stamp use, cutting our costs and benefiting the environment by reducing waste and materials used.

July 27 2008

We are delighted to announce that shiretrust committee member Tony Ford has now been officially registered as a member of the Board of Directors of East Stirlingshire F.C. This is another step forward in our improving relationship with the `Shire board and means that Tony can represent all shiretrust members at the highest level of power at the club. We now look forward to working closely with the club to overcome the challenges that lie ahead.

July 16 2008

The Trust committee are delighted to announce that shiretrust now hold 10 `A` shares in East Stirlingshire Football and Athletic Club. After agreeing a fair price with a local shareholder the transfer has now been officially confirmed. We believe our new status as shareholders will increase our visibility to other shareholders and the media and enable us to better represent our members at general meetings of the club.

Two of the aims of shiretrust are:
• To provide all of those with East Stirlingshire FC at heart with a meaningful voice in the football club • To have an active role in the decision making of East Stirlingshire FC

With these aims in mind the committee recently contacted the vast majority of `Shire shareholders asking if they would consider transferring or selling some or all of their `A` shares in East Stirlingshire F.C. to shiretrust. We do not expect those who passionately care about the `Shire to sell their shares to us but are more interested in those who may have become distant from the club. Experience has shown us that although popular opinion and fine words can be useful tools when trying to influence those in power, nothing is as effective as holding shares when it comes to the `crunch`. As always, shiretrust must look to the long term and gathering more `Shire shares has to be one of our priorities.

June 30 2008

A quiz night was held in the Auld Toll Inn, Grangemouth recently which raised almost £500 for shiretrust and we wish to thank the proprietors and trust member Grant McDowall for organising it.

We also would like to welcome Grant McDowall to membership of the shiretrust committee. Grant`s contact`s and ability to organise the recent quiz night almost unaided impressed the committee and confirmed him as someone who would be useful to us. Grant has been co-opted to the committee for his expertise in fundraising and will have a similar role to Tony Ford. This latest addition completes` our planned restructuring of the shiretrust committee which we believe will work better with the new regime at our club.

June 17 2008

Member Neil Gough has, with regret, resigned from his position on the shiretrust committee. Due to a change of job which meant a lot of travelling, Neil has found it impossible to attend shiretrust meetings and functions for some time now and has decided to let another member have the opportunity to serve in his place. The committee want to thank Neil for his efforts to help shiretrust (especially in the catering project 2007/08) and appreciate his honesty and pragmatism in this matter.

The shiretrust committee has acted quickly to fill this vacancy and co-opted Andrew Miller to the committee to serve in Neil`s place until the next AGM. We welcome Andrew to the committee and expect his confident, direct and outspoken manner and will help to further change its dynamics and perspective.

June 5th 2008

We wish to welcome Graham Stevenson to membership of the shiretrust committee.Graham, who recently turned 21, was co-opted on to the committee as a representative of a younger viewpoint after it was suggested this would be a valuable step in widening our perspective.This measure is the first step in a restructuring of the shiretrust committee to enable it to respond to changes happening within East Stirlingshire F.C.

June 1st 2008

shiretrust AGM`08 - Quick Summary:

Chairman’s Report
The shiretrust committee was delighted to tell the AGM that a Trust representative would be offered a seat on a new Shire board of directors. The offer was made in a meeting the previous night between the Trust committee and current Shire directors Spencer Fearn and Les Thompson. It is one of the objects of shiretrust to have influence in the boardroom and naturally the committee will accept the offer. As time is of the essence the AGM agreed to authorize the committee to appoint one of its members to the position as an interim measure on the understanding that future Trust representatives would be elected in a ballot of all trust members. It was remarked that 3-4 years ago this development would have seemed impossible and that it represented a seismic shift in relations between club and Trust.

Treasurers Report
The Catering project was seen to be a huge success earning the lions share of Trust income – unfortunately with the move to Stenhousemuir F.C.`s ground next season it cannot continue as the hosts will provide their own catering at games. It is hoped the Zebra Lottery can be restored as a major source of income for the Trust to counteract this. Internet registering sites easyfundraising and easysearch provided a substantial boost to Trust funds.

Election of committee members/ Rule change proposals
There were no new nominations so Mark Batham, Drummond Calder and Ian Ramsay were automatically re-elected to the committee. There were no rule change proposals.

Resolution for Independent Financial Examination by Auditor Peter Jack
It was revealed that this years Independent Examination had cost shiretrust less than a quarter of the previous years Full Audit. Peter Jack, who is the Treasurer of Bairnstrust, told of how his fee was to be paid in signed tops, programmes and other Shire merchandise which would help the club. Peter was warmly thanked by the meeting and the resolution was passed.

May 18th 2008

shiretrust have been reliably informed that director and major investor Spencer Fearn has now managed to buy out the shares belonging to Chairman Alan Mackin & his associates. This means that Mr. Mackin`s reign of bad stewardship and negativity at the club when he managed to get on the board after a court case in December 1999 is finally over. It’s frankly difficult to overestimate how much damage has been caused to the club and how near it was taken to the edge of non-existence. The `Shire became infamous for poor results and lack of competitiveness during this time and had to give up its Firs Park home as part of the price of getting rid of Mr. Mackin and his associates.

This news is a huge relief to everyone who cares about the `Shire and heralds the beginning of a new era at the club. shiretrust will now look to help the club rebuild its reputation and hopefully become more involved with its running and decision making. There are big challenges ahead, the biggest being we now have no home ground of our own - that, among other priorities must be worked on in the years ahead. With the source of the vast majority of negativity at the club now removed, we expect supporters, staff, players, directors, interested locals and those from afar who wish us well to pull together to help the club become a source of pride once again.

May 15th 2008

Notice of Annual General Meeting for the East Stirlingshire Supporters Society (shiretrust)

The meeting will take place on Wednesday 28th May 2008 in the Thornhill Community Centre (a few minutes walk from Firs Park), Thornhill Road, Falkirk at 7.30pm.

Members who require assistance or directions should contact the committee by e-mail at shiretrust@aol.com or phone the chairman, Ian Ramsay on (01324)711788.

April 28th 2008

Saturday 26th April 2008 was a momentous day for all concerned with the `Shire. The team`s victory coupled with the drawn match at Forfar meant the club escaped bottom place in the division and avoided sanctions by the Scottish Football League (SFL) for too many last place finishes. The overwhelming feeling on the day was one of relief and we all hope lessons can be learned from this disappointing season to make sure that there will be no repeat in the near future.

It was also announced that the game would be the last senior match at Firs Park. Arrangements have now been made for the club to be tenants at Ochilview Park, the home of local rivals Stenhousemuir F.C. from next season. Firs Park itself has not actually been sold yet - a decision about planning permission is still awaited. However the cost for `Shire to implement new Football Club Licence standards demanded by the SFL (one of which would mean altering the pitch size and bulldozing part of a terrace) was thought to be excessive considering the imminent move to Ochilview and the decision was taken to move now. Firs Park will live on in the memories of a great many supporters but the club must be practical and move on to a new era.

April 14th 2008

shiretrust have recently purchased a portable defibrillator unit which can be used to resuscitate heart attack victims or unconscious people without a pulse using an electric shock. The unit will be kept at Firs Park and will normally be with the first aid team when a match is on and will be available for use whenever the ground is occupied - on a Saturday at a home game and on weekdays during office hours. As well as games at Firs Park, the defibrillator unit is available for use in the immediate area - especially the nearby Central Retail Park, which a great deal of people visit daily.

April 6 2008

All shareholders of East Stirlingshire F.C. should now have received their new `A` and `B` share certificates. We have been informed that the transfer of the `A` shares to Spencer Fearn from Chairman Alan Mackin and his associates are expected to be completed before the end of the season. The confirmation of this transfer of shares will be of great interest to supporters and those who wish the `Shire well and we will post any news at the earliest opportunity.

February 21 2008

The shiretrust committee has been informed that there has been a delay in issuing the new `A` and `B` shares in East Stirlingshire F.C. - these are now expected in late March or April. This will also delay the transfer of A shares to Spencer Fearn from Chairman Alan Mackin and his associates - an act which shiretrust believes is vital to ending years of bad leadership and a major milestone towards a better future for the club. We are assured that the delay is due to unforseen administrative difficulties and we hope to be able to bring good news for shiretrust members in the near future.

January 5th 2008

Those who won prizes in the shiretrust Grand Christmas Draw are listed below (in no particular order):

D DONALDSON

D RAWLE

I RAMSAY

C McKECHNIE

G FOX

D MORGAN

A MILLER

D CALDER

P BROWN

D G BROWN

K TILSON

A WILSON

PHIL ( NO SURNAME)

G MORAN

P B MORRISON

Some prizes are still to be delivered - this will be done as soon as possible. Our thanks to everyone who offered prizes, sold tickets and participated in the draw.

December 28th 2007

The shiretrust committee would like to thank everyone who bought a ticket or donated a prize for the Grand Christmas Raffle Draw 2007. Continuing the policy of supporting good causes from our Christmas Draw, this year shiretrust will be donating £100 from the profits to:

CHAS (the Children`s Hospice association Scotland).

We wish all our members a happy new year in 2008.

December 15th shiretrust 2007 EGM - Result

As expected, shiretrust members voted decisively in favour of both resolutions - 55 votes were cast for and none against. We now anticipate a substantial saving on the cost of our next financial audit in 2008. As a result of the vote, shiretrust rules will be altered to allow members the choice (normally at an AGM) of an independent examination or a full financial audit. An independent examination of shiretrust finances for year ending 31st December 2007 was also approved, the results of which will be presented at the 2008 AGM. The shiretrust committee will appoint an independent examiner in due course.