A NEW BOARD OF SOCIETY   for The B.E.S.T.            

The building of a new Board of Society (BoS) has taken a major step forward.

Members will know that if less than seven people stood for election, there was no call for a competitive vote on this occasion.

Four people, Dr Gareth Thomas; Dave Timms; Penny Young and Terry Pavey, are all automatically elected to the BoS.    Their Manifesto Statements are printed below for your interest.

Once the BoS has looked at its skill and experience needs, it can then seek to recruit or co-opt a further three members to bring itself up to full strength.

In addition to the BoS, the executive arm of The B.E.S.T. welcomes Steve Fish as Meetings and Minutes Secretary, and Tim Caswell as Press Officer.

Other job descriptions within the structure, and matching person specifications, are being developed and will be advertised shortly.

Manifesto Statements

My name is Gareth Thomas and I live in Sandy. I was friendly with the late Mr. Terry King who first invited me to watch the ‘Eagles’ and the first of his many promotions as the manager. I have been a keen supporter ever since.

Professionally, I am recently retired as Head of Reserves Acquisition and Management for a national wildlife charity. I was responsible for developing policies, strategies and plans for over 180 sites in the UK. I have experience in property negotiations, fundraising, organizational management and administration, which could be of service to the The B.E.S.T.  

Currently I am a non- exec director of a company distributing landfill tax funding in support of community projects. Nationwide, over £10m has been awarded in recent years; of which about 20% has been in Bedfordshire. I also serve on one of the ‘Big Lottery’ schemes disbursing grants for  nature conservation projects over the next 3 years in England. I believe that my knowledge of both fund raising and fund provision would be of value to The B.E.S.T. and thence the ‘Eagles’.

The B.E.S.T. can aspire to add valuable extra dimensions to the ‘Eagles’ in two main ways:

1. Because of its constitution as a ‘Friendly Society’ The B.E.S.T. is in a unique position to attract partnership funding of benefit to the ‘Eagles’ that would not ordinarily be available. This could cover ground facilities as well as improving its standing as a community club.

2. Should the ‘Eagles’ ever suffer a dramatic change of governance in the future The B.E.S.T and its network could be a natural focus to help it quickly reposition itself as a pre-eminent community football club.

I have the time available to serve on the committee and would regard it as a privilege if elected. 

Dr. Gareth Thomas. Sandy.Beds

My name is Dave Timms.

“I retired last year having completed 50 years service with Avery Berkel, calibrating and repairing weighing equipment mostly in Beds, Bucks, Cambs and Herts.

I have been a regular supporter of the Eagles since the late 1940’s when I was taken by my father to matches, until he passed away.

I was a regular supporter until the old club folded in 1982 after which I visited many local clubs but they where not my club. When the meeting was held at the Library in 1989 my football enthusiasm was reignited. I joined The B.E.S.T. this is the only way of ensuring Bedford Town will always have a football team to follow.

For the last ten years I have run the football website www.bedfordeagles.net . In my younger days I was Youth Club Leader at the Silver Jubilee School and London Road Boys Club, both having good reputations for football teams many of my boy’s went on to play for Bedford Town

 I truly believe a well run Trust can play a valuable part in the future of our Club”

Dave Timms. Kempston.

“My name is Penny Young and I was one of the founder members in 1989 of the re-formed Bedford Town Football Club. 

I bring with me a knowledge of the licensed trade, through my business and connections to local breweries; my business acumen from running my own business, and being finalist in a National Small Business Competition. 

I have long term links with the governance and running of football.

My current connections with youth football; knowledge of it’s value to a club, and the fact that I am familiar with the Eagles’ path since it’s reformation as a community club, make me truly believe in the aims of the Football Trust in taking the Club back in that direction again.”

Penny Young. Bedford.

“People and communities generally invest more money and loyalty into resources over which they have some degree of real ownership and control. My experience with Supporters Trusts; football clubs and life in general confirms this view.

Our Trust Is an Independent and Provident Society. We can trade. We have tax and grant application advantages. We are willing to work with others. We already have leverage in many quarters.

I retired in 2005 after a 25year career in Local Authority management and 10 years as Managing Director of my own recruitment company.

 In 2003 during the clubs’ collapse, I became Chief Executive of the Exeter City FC Trust, and  Club Director after the Trust took overall control. This was valuable experience.  

Karen and I moved to Thurleigh from Hertfordshire in 2005 and began supporting The Eagles. We joined the BTFCIST in early 2006.

 They say we’re “a rugby town”. We’re not. We’re a town with an underdeveloped football club. I do not believe only 325 potential Eagles fans exist in a locality of 150,000 people.

If we want supporters; politicians and businesses to invest in our club, power needs to be more sensibly shared to enable that investment. The B.E.S.T. will be a valuable business partner in achieving that.

I will work to see a true Community Club develop.  Community Clubs are like icebergs.   Only 10% of what they do is visible on Saturdays. The 7day resources, and the Eagle brand of our club, must be used intelligently and positively, to gain community support and build the future fan base and club infrastructure.

There is so much  skill, experience and goodwill inside, and (sadly) outside the club, toward The Eagles, as a valued part of the towns history.  I believe I can help harness those energies, and rebuild a successful future.

Terry Pavey. Thurleigh.