One generous anonymous Hamlet fan has made a donation of £1,893! Which is the perfect tonic following their successful inaugural AGM last week.

The co-organisers Neil Cole & Shaun Dooley were left stunned, humbled and extremely grateful for the gift, which is the perfect shot in the arm, after they staged their first Annual General Meeting in the Champion Hill boardroom last week.

The campaign has helped unite everyone at the Club, as they spoke from the top table at an enthusuastic meeting, with the attendance reaching double figures.

As they stated: "We started the scheme hoping it would be well received, but did not know how successful it would be. We had seen a few other clubs run similar things, and were hopeful the idea would catch the imagination of our fans. We were lucky in so much as we launched when things were going well on the pitch. Success breeds success, and once people saw the scheme working things snowballed. It's been terrific, and really brought people together from all parts of the ground, which came to a head really at Herne Bay. The support there was fantastic, and the spirit generated by our campaign I think helped to make us all feel an important part of the Club. It feels good to carry on, but now comes the hard work, it's like the 'honeymoon' is over and the aim is to help stabilise the Club in the Premier Division, as and when the Club needs our funds."

Bank statements were available for all to see, with the names of contributors blanked out for confidentiality purposes, as a clear signal to show that everything is above board and the books are there for all to see. There are no overheads, both Shaun & Neil are volunteers, & every penny raised is ringfenced to add to the weekly playing budget, set by the owner Nick McCormack.

The duo were keen to stress the importance of the contribution Mr. McCormack & the Football Committee make, in budget matters.
"Make no mistake we are not the playing budget! What all of us raised last season wasn't even one months wages. But we are here to help Gavin boost the squad when needed, as we did when Danny Carr needed the security of a contract, and for signing players toward the latter part of the season. What we have in our fund now is not to pay any of the current squad. We start with a 'clean slate', so to speak, and we can fill a gap, when needed. We shall build up a kitty, which is ready for the Club, whenever they need, during the season. Last year they chose to 'sit on a pot' for a little while, and dip into it when required to boost Nick McCormack's budget, when needed. We are happy to do the same this year."

Shaun & Neil went on to praise all of the fans who contributed: "It's doesn't matter who contributed, or how much, whether it was ten pence or ten pounds. We were also extremely grateful to have been handed a number of three figure donations, one very early on which gave us such a boost, and vindicated our decision to set up the "12th Man" fund; plus another of a thousand pounds in April. It's hard to have a set budget, the bucket collection fluctuates game to game, and we are always amazed at how generous everyone is."

There is also the standing orders, where supporters can make a weekly or monthly donation direct from their bank account, and they hoped more supporters would help this way. "We realise that set payments don't suit everyone, but it's good for us, as it's the only guaranteed income that we can say for certain is being donated. Hopefully more fans will help this way."

The duo were also extremely pleased how supportive the Club and the Management were. "Most of the Club Committee make regular contributions, alongside fans in the stand & on the terraces. From our point of view it's good to see Gavin spend what we have raised so astutely. He won't spend all of our money for the sake of it. He only dipped in to 'top up' the budget for that little extra to boost his squad when it was needed, and clearly it worked, as the proof was in the pudding of promotion!"

Both Neil Cole & Shaun Dooley welcome idea for raising more funds, and there was some interesting discussion from the floor of the meeting. And they are always open to any that you might have, just stop and have a chat with them at any home game, at the "12th Man" table, where they will be with their trusty bucket, just inside the turnstiles, past the programme sellers.

Which is where they will be against Dagenham & Redbridge, for the first pre-season game on 9th July.