Rivals4Charity/ Lennon's Fund

On May 25th, Dens Park will be the venue for a charity football match involving supporters from either side of the great divide, to raise money for the Homeless world Cup campaign. The match has been organised by Rivals4Charity in association with both Dundee FC and Dundee United.

 

After being contacted by Dundee FC Supporters’ Society, Rivals4Charity have agreed to donate the mascot space to local charity Lennon’s Fund, a recent visitor under the Community Initiative at Dens, to be auctioned off on facebook on the 25th of this month. Obviously this will be auctioned in two lots, one for each team, but both mascots will receive the full treatment, a tour of the stadium, taking part in the warm up, and of course the chance to lead out their team for the game itself.

Dundee FC Supporters’ Society has also pledged to supply a strip for the mascot if required, with ArabTrust looking to do likewise for the winner of the auction for their mascot. To win the chance to have your child leading their team out on the day, all you have to do is join the auction here and wait for the lot to come up, and of course, bid more than anyone else.

 

 

Dundee FC Supporters' Society would like to thank Rivals4Charity for allowing these places to be auctioned, and wish Lennon's Fund all the very best with their fundraising on the night.

Senior's Meeting

This months Senior's Meeting  will take place in the Billy Steel Lounge on Thursday April 25th at 11 am.

The meeting will include a visit from the Football Memories project, who will give a demonstration of the work they do, and will also be looking for opinions from those present, in a bid to create the finest Dundee FC team ever, and then use the results within the project.

As usual, refreshments will be available, and the meeting is open to anyone interested in attending, with the chance to meet up with fellow Dees, and on this occasion, take a wee trip down memory lane.

Society Board Update

Yesterday, April 13^th the Society board met in a scheduled meeting.

As previously stated, the Society Board has been in discussions with both our supporters’ clubs committee (DFCSCA) and the Dark Blue Business Trust (DBBT) regarding a way to proceed, with the intention of making the Society as inclusive as possible to all supporters groups. These discussions are still ongoing. The Society Board intimated an intention to hold a Special General Meeting (SGM), and hopes to formally announce a date for this meeting shortly, however recent correspondence received means that this meeting cannot now take place for at least one calendar month, and a provisional date has been set for Sunday May 26^th, this will hopefully be confirmed shortly.

Further, the Society is planning an interim election to supplement the number of directors currently in position, and will look to begin this process as soon as possible, with elections results being announced in mid-June.

With regards to recent communications, Elliot Davie reported a number of members had recently contacted the Society with a view to viewing the members register, however the Society will seek guidance on the data protection ramifications, and until such guidance has been received, has taken the decision that members may only view their own personal data.

Our next board meeting is scheduled to take place on Sun 21^st April, and an update will be posted as soon as possible after that meeting. Minutes of our most recent meetings are currently being prepared and will be posted on our website shortly.

The society continues to seek ways to improve communications with all groups, as well as individuals, and is happy to receive recommendations on ways to improve things, suggestions can be sent via the ‘contact us’ button on this page.

Seniors Meeting on Thursday

Dundee FC Senior Supporters' Club are meeting this Thursday at 11am in the Billy Steel lounge at Dens Park. Guest speaker is Jim Spence.

Members and non-members welcome - even if you don't consider yourself "senior" yet!

Broughty Ferry YMCA

Saturday March 30th sees Motherwell visit Dens park in the SPL, and also the visit of Broughty Ferry YMCA to Dens as part of the ongoing Community Initiative. Dundee FC Supporters’ Society spoke to Jeanette Third of YMCA Scotland to hear about some of the work they do, and a bit of their history in Broughty Ferry.
The YMCA in Broughty Ferry was founded in premises in Gray Street in 1868.In 1893 a gymnasium was gifted by Alexander Jefferson Buist, President at that time. Traditionally the local Association is sport orientated producing many fine players within the realms of Badminton, Table Tennis and Football over the years. Local volunteers have helped the YMCA survive as the years have moved on; through giving up their time to help develop the local young people of Broughty Ferry and enhance their interests. These volunteers have been invaluable to the survival of the YMCA. However more help and funding is always needed to keep the YMCA going.
.
Broughty Ferry YMCA is at the heart of the community with the building always in use with local groups (See list below or check out our website for details) we also have many exciting projects planned for the future!
 
The Board of the YMCA recently embarked on a fundraising campaign to purchase a soft play box for our Thursday Club young people, some of whom suffer from autism and they are delighted with this new equipment. We are looking to fundraise further for the children already attending and to raise money to help fund a full time youth worker that can look at working with young people particularly those aged 8-12 years  
 
 MONDAY
Ballet 4-00 6-45pm
Exercise class   10-00  11-15am
Stretch Class 12-30 1-00pm
Chi Kung (Relaxation) 1-00  2-30pm
Judo   5-00  9-00pm
Girls Club   6-30  7-30pm
Karate 6-50  7-50pm         ****NEW
 
 
TUESDAY
Ladies Badminton   10-00 12-00pm
Exercise class   10-15  11-15am
Yoga   11-00  12-00pm
Tap   3-45  4-45pm
Ballet   5-00  6-00pm
Yoga   6-00  7-00pm
Fishing Club   7-00  9-00pm
St Andrews Ambulance   7-00  9-00pm
 
WEDNESDAY
Tap Dancing   10-30  11-30am
Kick Boxing   8-15  9-30pm (14 yrs +)
Zumba   7-00  8-00pm
Yoga   7-00  8-00pm
Karate 6-30  7-30pm   ****NEW
 
THURSDAY
Exercise class   10-15  11-30am
Art class   10-30  12-30pm
Yoga   10-00  11-00am
Irish Dancing (Beginner)   6-00  7-00pm
Thursday Club   6-30  10-00pm
Kick Boxing   7-00  8-00pm
Taekwondo   4-00  5-00pm
 
FRIDAY
Christian Aid Lunches (September-May)   12-00  1-30pm
Art Class   10-00  12-00pm
Karate 5-00  7-00pm
Adult Ballet/Contemporary/Tap   6-30  8-15pm
Glee Club 4-45  -7-00pm
SATURDAY
Pre School Ballet   11-00  1-30pm
Coffee Mornings  (Check Dates)
Broughty United   (Gym)

Dundee FC Supporters’ Society would like to warmly welcome Broughty Ferry YMCA to Dens today, and wish them all the best on their visit. In today’s world, providing a safe environment for children to take part in sport is vital, and the Society would like to thank the YMCA in Broughty Ferry for doing great work in this area. Once again, we would like to thank Dundee supporters for doing what they do for every charity guest, take time to listen to what they say, and take on board information. The Community Initiative has been a great success, and that is down to you, the Dundee fans who have engaged with every visitor we have had so far, and for that, the Society thanks you.

Asbestos Action (Tayside) Follow Up

Asbestos Action (Tayside) visited Dens as part of the Community Initiative to take in the game against Inverness Caledonian Thistle on March 9th.

The charity was set up by a group of people in the East of Scotland who either have, or care for someone with an asbestos related condition, dealing with a wide range of services, from one to one support through to advice on personal injury claims, with a 24 hour answering service enabling them to deal with enquiries as quickly as possible.

Asbestos related diseases range from pleural plaques, an inflammation of the membrane that envelopes the lungs, Asbestosis, a scarring of the lung tissue, Mesothelioma, a cancer that affects the lungs, to asbestos related lung cancer. Mesothelioma alome kills one third more people than cervical cancer, and is predicted to kill over one million people in western Europe by 2035.

Dundee FC Supporters’ society spoke to Alison Blake from Asbestos Action (Tayside) to find out why they came to Dens, and what benefits the charity hoped to get from the trip. ‘One of our members, Jim Gibbon died of Mesothelioma, and his family are all staunch Dundee fans. His daughter Sandra had noticed the charity visitors every game, and nominated us for a visit , and DFCSS got back and offered us a place.Visiting Dens was a great experience, it is vital that people are aware of the dangers of asbestos because although employers are now more aware of their responsibilities to the workforce a lot of homeowners who get involved in DIY are oblivious to the life threatening nature of the product. Visiting Dens was excellent from the point of view of getting the chance to speak to a lot of people and raise the profile of the dangers to them in their daily working lives and also in the home. These are people we may not normally encounter, and lots of them, and getting the chance to talk to so many at one time was a really fantastic opportunity.’photo courtesy of Derek Gerrard

‘Getting the chance to come to a game and speak to the Dundee supporters was brilliant, we did not really know what to expect, but the fans seemed very interested in our message. We engaged a lot of people who had previously worked with asbestos and were not aware of the work of Asbestos Action Tayside. Should they be diagnosed with an asbestos related condition in the future they now know where to contact us. Plus - on a personal note the hospitality that Dundee FC offered us was excellent, we were well looked after by volunteers, who made sure we were ok, got us to our seats, and generally made the experience an easier one.’

‘The top and ball that Dundee FC donated to us will be auctioned as a fund raiser and this was greatly appreciated. Photographs of our day went on our Facebook page and will also go in our newsletter to make our current membership aware of the good support we had from the Club. The day itself was a great experience, the game was pretty good, although that late goal was a bit unlucky, we had a great time, and the club and Society should be applauded for not only giving us this chance, but also for the welcome we received, and the way we were looked after, getting our photograph in the Courier was an unexpected bonus, but anything that raises awareness of our cause is great.’

‘Everyone at the charity would really like to thank Dundee FC, the Supporters’ Society, the fans and in particular, Jacqui Robertson who dealt with our visit and organised everything, and Grant Cook who looked after us on the day. The opportunity to raise awareness of a vital issue was fantastic, but the way it was handled by everyone connected with the club made it a day to remember.’

Community Director Jacqui Robertson was happy to help the charity, ‘One of the best things about being the Community director is getting the chance to meet some really nice people, who do a lot of great work in the community, and this was no exception. Alison and everyone else from Asbestos Action (Tayside) were really great, and their enthusiasm for spreading the word about their charity really shone through. The work they do may not get the attention of some other charities, but really is vital, and getting the chance to help them raise awareness was a pleasure and a privilege.’

Dundee FC Supporters’ Society would like to thank everyone from Asbestos Action (Tayside) for coming to Dens and passing on some really good information to the Dundee fans, who once again engaged fully with our charity guests. Asbestos Action (Tayside) provide a real service to those they deal with, and having them at Dens spreading the word about the work they do is what the community Initiative Jacqui runs is all about. We would like to wish the charity all the very best in the future, and hope we helped in some way to raise the profile of an excellent service.photo courtesy of Derek Gerrard

Rivals Update

Monday March 25th saw the final indoor training session for the players hoping to take to the Dens Park turf on May 25th in the Rivals4Charity football match.

Under the expert eye of Brian Scrimgeour, the players were once again put through their paces as Brian looks to mould a team capable of representing Dundee FC, and its supporters in an upcoming game against our rivals across the road. Brian was happy with the progress being made, and is looking forward to getting the guys outside onto grass next week to see what they can do. ‘We have been training indoors for five weeks now, and it has been great. The boys have worked hard, and we are beginning to see the rewards for that, they look more of a unit now, and are starting to gel. While we have been indoors, it’s been hard to work on some things, but hopefully if the weather clears up a bit, we can get them outside and working with grass under their feet, and that’s when you really see what they are made of.’

‘We have around twenty of them turning up, and we are really looking for a squad of fifteen, so competition for places is going to be pretty fierce, but they are all still in with a shout, the standard has been pretty high, and no-one has looked out of place, it is not going to be easy if I have to leave anyone out.’

‘Saying that, it is not just me, and I have to thank Grant Cook and John Keith for all their help organising things. The two of them have arranged pretty much everything, from bibs and balls, to the fantastic facilities at St Pauls, and stood in for me while I was ill, and kept things ticking over, so between the three of us, we will look at everything over the next few weeks, and hopefully get at least one game in before we select the squad for the game.’
 
The game itself is all about raising funds for Rivals4Charity, with proceeds going to help the Homeless World Cup Campaign, and Dundee FC and the Supporters’ Society are proud to be helping with this fundraising. The club have donated strips for the players, as well as the use of Dens Park on the day, while the Society has helped out with the logistics of getting a group of people together, and organising things.

 The game itself will be the last chance this season to see Dundee play against ‘the neighbours’, and will be open to the public for a small admission fee. The players themselves will all have raised a minimum of £150 to take part, and for that will have the chance to play in the game, as well as the strip to take home with them, and the Society would urge as many people as possible to take in the game, to help raise money for the charity, and also to support the team wearing Dark Blue and give them the best experience they can have on the day.

Productive Meeting Held by Dundee Fans Groups

 Today, representatives of the Dark Blue Business Trust, Dundee FC Supporters’ Clubs’ Association and Dundee FC Supporters’ Society met for exploratory talks at Dens Park.

An amicable and productive two hour meeting saw the groups agree to a number of proposals and actions to discuss with their members.

 DBBT trustee Peter Marr said “This was a long overdue meeting with all fans’ groups around the table and from all that was discussed, it’s clear there’s a lot of common ground and we all want the best for Dundee FC in the long term.”

 DFCSCA chairman George Harris agreed “A recent meeting of supporters’ clubs asked that we meet with the Society board and DBBT, and following that meeting today we’ll be reporting back to the clubs with recommendations on a way forward. I feel real progress has been made today.”

 DFCSS chairman Dave Forbes concluded “After all that’s been said recently, at the end of the day we are all Dundee fans and have to find a way to work together for the good of the club. Today’s meeting was very productive and we’ve agreed to meet again shortly to further develop ideas which we would then all take to our members.”

 Present at the meeting were Peter Marr and Ritchie Robertson of the DBBT; Peter Campbell, Davie Craig, George Harris and Colin Reid of the DFCSCA; and Grant Cook, Elliot Davie, Dave Forbes, John Keith, Maurice Kidd, Fraser MacDonald and Barbara Tough of the DFCSS.

Jacqui Robertson

At the end of January this year, Jacqui Robertson intimated an intention to resign from the Society Board at the end of the season. With a change in the charity set up for next season planned, Jacqui felt the role of Community Director would change, allowing her to step down from her position and someone else to come onto the Board and provide a fresh outlook, and also allow her to concentrate fully on a new venture.

‘It is with regret that I have tendered my notice with the Dundee FC Supporters' Society some weeks ago, a decision that I have not taken lightly. The last two years have been a roller coaster of ups and downs for myself, my colleagues and the Dundee support but there have been plenty of positives in my role as Community Director. Since Scott Glenday first asked me to take on the role and take on the challenge of reaching out to the local community, I can only say I gave it everything I had.’

‘As a group and in a very short space of time we have helped to raise the profile of around 40 local and national charities, and built some excellent relationships with local and national press, something I'm very proud of. While we haven't actively promoted the feedback from the hundreds of people we've worked with over this time we have been privy to the thoughts of those we have helped either directly or indirectly and it has made it all worth every moment. There's nothing I would change about helping these people and all have resulted in lasting friendships. There's nothing negative about that.’

‘I understand why some of our support may feel that the community role should now be tailored in order to move the Society and Club forward and I would like to see that too and hope that someone will come forward to drive this forward. My intentions are to continue the charity and health initiatives as an independent and volunteer next season  with the support of the club, DFCSS and the supporters clubs who have all intimated their backing, giving someone else the chance to take on the Community role.’

Acting Chairman Dave Forbes  commented on the news, ‘ We will all be sorry to see Jacqui go, since coming onto the Society Board, Jacqui has always been extremely pro-active in reaching out to the community, and a hard working Director for the Society. While we are sad to see her leave, knowing she is moving on to a new venture, and will continue to be involved with charity work at the club, Jacqui leaves the Society Board with our very best wishes in her endeavours.’

‘Replacing Jacqui will not be easy, but we now must look forward, and would hope to find a replacement before the season ends, and a new Community director can bring a fresh outlook to the role, and carry on the excellent work already done in this area by the departing Jacqui Robertson.’

Club Board Appointments

Dundee FC Supporters’ Society today welcomed the appointment of its interim chairman, Dave Forbes, to the board of Dundee FC, following the resignation of Eddie Devlin from the Society and Club boards, along with the appointment of Bill Colvin as a director of the club.

Dave (70) is a lifelong supporter and has been instrumental in raising hundreds of thousands for the club through his positions as Chairman and director of the former DFC Associate Board and Chairman of the DFC Business and Development Club.

Dave stated "I am proud and privileged to take up this position on the Board of Directors and intend to work hard to continue the good work that has taken place behind the scenes to date."

You can read the club’s full announcement here.

Dundee Survival Group Follow Up

On Wednesday 6th March, Dundee survival Group visited Dens Park as part of the Community Initiative. Dundee Survival Group provide accommodation for single homeless people in the Dundee area, while providing ancillary services, such as access to health care, and financial advice.

Dundee FC Supporters’ Society spoke to Morag Maich after the game to see how the visit went, and how they came to be at Dens Park. ‘ Dundee Survival Group have now been going for over 30 years, we provide supported accommodation for single homeless people in Dundee , they have to be over the age of sixteen, but apart from that, we deal with anybody and everybody. We do this in flats as well as bedrooms, and all are furnished.’

‘We were looking for a way to promote the work we do, and thought of speaking to football clubs about a visit, and while we were looking into that, we visited the DFCSS website, and saw that Dundee already did this kind of thing. We actually contacted more than Dundee, but they were the only ones who came back with a positive response, and we are very grateful for that. I think this is something every club should be looking at, definitely, because everybody comes to the football. For us to raise our profile, we don’t necessarily want to talk to one group of people, and at the football, we have a chance to talk to people from all walks of life, they all come to the football, and homelessness really can affect anyone. We have an 82 year old, who had been living with family, but had a fall out, we also have a seventeen year old who is pregnant, so you just never know.’

‘We are going to raffle the signed top and ball, and we are looking to raise as much money as possible from this, hopefully we will pass details back to the Society of the raffle to help us achieve this.’

‘The fans were brilliant, really good. I have had some brilliant conversations, with young people as well as older ones, one lady in particular seemed very interested, and is looking to get back in touch with us soon, but everyone has been very receptive.’

‘We are always looking for volunteers, we need volunteer board members, and household goods. If anyone has anything in good condition, TV’s living room furniture, kitchen furniture, beds, anything.As long as it is in good condition, we will accept it. All people need to do is telephone 01382 450303, and ask for Morag, and I will give them all the details they need.’

‘The game itself was fantastic, it was pretty cold on the night, but the game, especially the second half warmed us up. For one of our volunteers tonight, it was a pretty special occasion, Wullie greenwood is 79, and been going to watch Dundee since he was 8. To get to visit dens, and be on the pitch at halftime was a dream come true for him. He has not stopped talking about it since.’

‘I would really like to thank Jacqui Robertson, I sent out a lot of emails, and she was the only one who answered, and the answer was positive. She has been very helpful and supportive throughout, and a credit to the Society and the club.’

DFCSS would like to thank Dundee survival Group for coming along to Dens on a freezing night, and handing out information to Dundee Fans. Homelessness really does affect people from every walk of life, and nobody expects it, so to have some information may prove invaluable to one of our supporters in the future.

Asbestos Action (Tayside)

Sat 9th March sees the continuation of the Community Initiative with the arrival of Asbestos Action Tayside to Dens for the visit of Inverness Caledonian Thistle. Dundee FC Supporters’ Society spoke to Alison Blake about AAT, and the problems the charity deal with.


Asbestos Action Tayside (covering the East of Scotland) is a Scottish charity set up to provide practical and emotional support and advice to those who have an asbestos related disease.

Most people have heard of asbestosis but asbestosis is just one of 5 different diseases which relate to asbestos. The five diseases are pleural plaques, pleural thickening, asbestosis, asbestos related lung cancer and mesothelioma.  The last two are fatal as there is no known cure. The average life expectancy in Tayside is 26 weeks from diagnosis of mesothelioma.

The charity was formed by a group of people from the East of Scotland who either have an asbestos related illness or have cared for someone with an asbestos linked condition.

    AAT have a 24 hour answering service that enables us to respond to peoples needs as soon as we possibly can.
    Serious illness often leads to financial worries. From our office in the centre of Dundee or by home visits for mesothelioma sufferers, we assist in the task of making benefits claims that they are entitled to and are their right.
    We not only support the sufferers but their family members too, even after someone has died.

Take a minute and try to think how you would feel if you were told you had a serious illness or were even terminally ill and it had probably been caused by the work you carried out 30 years ago!

Did you know?

    Someone dies every 5 hours from mesothelioma* in the U.K.
    There were 1,628 deaths from mesothelioma in 2000 in Britain.
    The annual death toll will rise to around 2,000 by 2010 and will remain above 1,500 until about 2025.
    There are 33% more deaths from mesothelioma than from cervical cancer.
    Deaths from mesothelioma have increased ten-fold since 1968 in the U.K.
    There will be over a million deaths in Western Europe by 2035.
    The disease can take between 20 to 50 years to develop following exposure to asbestos.
    The greatest risk group are men born between 1945 and 1950.
    Mesothelioma cases have increased three-fold since 1990.
    Scientists predict that by 2025, 25,000 Scots will have died from asbestos related diseases; this in a country with only 5,000,000 people.

Compared with diseases such as breast cancer, there is little in the way of public campaigning over the condition known as mesothelioma nor is there more than a fraction of the funding of research into it.

Our organisation aims to support those suffering from this and other dreadful conditions associated with asbestos and bring the above shocking facts to the attention of the greater public.

 

For one local family, AAT provided a much needed service when Jim gibbon was diagnosed with Mesothelioma. Son Alan had this to say about his dad. ‘Jim Gibbon was a lifelong Dundee supporter who used to tell his family stories of Billy Steel in the League Cup Final against Rangers in the 1950’s and was there at Muirton Park the day Dundee won the league. He watched them through many highs and lows, buying bricks to help them build the stands and supporting the team through administration the first time round and up until his death in October 2008 was still a season ticket holder at Dens Park.’

 

‘As well as his love of Dundee, Jim was also heavily involved in Sunday Boys Football running his own team Sidlaw Boys, and being match Secretary for over 30 years in total.In March of 2008 Jim was diagnosed with Mesothelioma.  Mesothelioma is a lung cancer associated with asbestos contact.  For Jim there was to be no effective treatment for him and he was to die peacefully at home in October 2008.’

 

‘During this time Jim and the family were supported by Asbestos Action Tayside.  The day of his diagnosis Jim was given their number and made contact with them, they were there to help him fill in the forms for claiming entitlements and compensation.To this day Asbestos Action are still involved in helping support the family by keeping in touch with Jim’s wife Muriel and offering much needed support.  Indeed Muriel just attended a ladies lunch organised by Asbestos Action in February this year.’

 

‘Asbestos Action Tayside were there for Jim in the very worst of times and were able to provide practical and emotional support that was invaluable to him and the family.The family are pleased that Asbestos Action are being recognised by Dundee FC because there are many people in this area who continue to be affected by asbestos related conditions and Asbestos Action Tayside’s support will be invaluable to them.’

 

Dundee FC Supporters’ Society look forward to the visit of AAT, and all the information they bring to Dens about the problems with asbestos related health issues. As always, information will be available from the charity on the day, and the Society would urge everyone to get as much information as possible.

Dundee FC Supporters’ Society Board Announcement

Dundee FC Supporters’ Society today released the following statement on behalf of Eddie Devlin.

 “With regret, I am announcing my resignation from the Supporters' Society board with immediate effect, due to an on-going family health matter. I also intend to resign from the main board of Dundee FC but have agreed at the Society Board's request to remain temporarily until a successor has been appointed.

 “I have supported the club for nearly sixty years and the proudest moment for me was being appointed a main board director.

 “Our club is going through tough challenges at this time, and needs board members to be 100% focused on making the right decisions for the longer term.

 “I am confident that a restructured board and improved interface between club, society, and fans is the correct step forward, and wish the club, society and fans the best fortune for the future.”

Dundee Survival Group

Dundee Survival Group are the latest visitors to Dens Park under the Community Initiative. For over 30 years, DSG provide a service to homeless people living in and around Dundee, not just providing a place to stay, but also vital support services. Dundee FC Supporters’ Society spoke with Morag Maich about the work of DSG, and the services they provide.

‘From its’ inception in 1982 our aim at Dundee Survival Group has been to aid the rehabilitation and resettlement of the single homeless in Dundee and its environs. We are committed to helping all single homeless people regardless of age, ethnicity, gender, race, religion or of any other opinion.’

‘Although our clientele has changed since 1982 it is still often the most vulnerable in society who we house at DSG. Oftentimes the provision of accommodation is not enough to make sure people can conquer homelessness. Homelessness is often a symptom of complex needs including addictions, mental health, and relationship breakdown. Many of our service users present with significant issues and often particularly challenging behaviours. Many have problems with substance misuse, mental health, social problems and physical disabilities although not all do. Many homeless people carry with them the distressing experiences they have suffered which led to their homelessness in the first place. Often homelessness is combined with high levels of poverty and poor health.’

‘At DSG we help by providing temporary supported accommodation. The accommodation is self-contained, fully furnished flats and furnished single bedrooms. Service users who reside in our bedroom accommodation are provided with 3 meals a day, a residents’ TV lounge, tea and coffee and laundry facilities. Some of these service users require a high level of assistance from our support workers but not all. Service users housed in flats are usually more independent and as such are expected to budget, shop and cook for themselves and maintain the flat in a tenable condition. These service users can and do come from all walks of life. We provide support to all residents by trained and qualified support workers. All service users are allocated a key worker when they arrive and they will receive practical and emotional aid and assistance from that person throughout their stay.’

‘DSG works alongside many other services, both statutory and voluntary including social work, local drug and alcohol projects, training projects, voluntary projects and local council projects. Service users who are not in employment or studying have the opportunity to and are encouraged to attend various training and voluntary schemes. We have a private medical room which is used by the “Health and Homeless Outreach Team” which visits us every month. We regularly run AA and NA meetings and invite a variety of agencies along to offer help and support to our service users.’

‘There are many negative consequences as a result of homelessness. Poor physical and emotional health is often at the top of the list. Homeless people often encounter a lot of health issues in their lives. Their health gets worse from time to time because they lack attention from doctors, friends and family members. People who are living “rough” encounter further problems such as cold injury, abuse, assault and nutritional deficiencies.’

‘The general public usually have misconceptions about homeless people. These misconceptions are oftentimes based on inaccurate information presented by the media or anecdotal evidence. However the homeless population in Dundee is as varied as the reasons why people become homeless. According to recent Scottish Government statistics the main reason for homelessness is the result of a relationship breakdown. This may mean the paternal relationship, a marriage or life partner or a friendship. The largest group of people who are homeless are single adults without resident children, aged between 25 -35. Some may have been living rough for a while; others may have been recently released from prison or hospital; they may have recently left the armed forces; some become homeless because they are escaping violence in their homes and others due to relocation for employment reasons. Not all homeless people have issues with substance misuse and they are not all in receipt of benefits. They do not live with us for free and are expected to pay rent and a service charge.’

‘People who use our service usually have very little or no belongings beyond clothing and some personal items. We can provide all they need whilst they are residing with us (in both bedroom and flat accommodation) such as beds, bedding, sofa, cooker, fridge, carpets and kitchen utensils. We receive no government funding for this. All these items are either purchased through funds raised or are donated by companies or members of the public. We keep costs down through buying reconditioned items or by trawling recycling sites which offer items free. Despite this the cost of replacing items is increasing. We are always in need of good quality furnishings and working white goods as well as toiletries and warm clothing.’

 If you feel you could donate any of the above goods please feel free to contact me at morag.maich@dundeesurvivalgroup.org.

 If you are an internet shopper you can donate to us just by doing your regular shopping online. It won’t cost you any money and you’ll be helping us raise much needed funds. To find out more go to: www.easyfundraising.org.uk/causes/dundeesurvival

 Dundee FC Supporters’ Society would like to welcome Dundee Survival Group to Dens Park, and would once again urge our supporters to take some time to catch up with another local charity doing fantastic work to help the homeless in the Dundee area.

Rivals4Charity Update

Monday Feb 25th saw the first session for prospective players in the Rivals4Charity football match; the training took place at St Pauls, with seventeen hopefuls taking the stage in front of their gaffer for the first time.

Dundee legend Brian Scrimgeor put the guys through their paces with some skills training, and a few games of five a sides, as everyone attempted, successfully to impress the man who will pick the team for the upcoming game against our rival supporters.
 
The Society caught up with Brian to hear his thoughts on how the night went. ‘The game is three months away, so we wanted to get preparations started early. Leisure and Culture Dundee have been kind enough to supply a hall at a discount rate, so we are indoors for the next five weeks, and after that we will look to continue outside. The standard of players so far has been pretty high, a few guys couldn’t make the first week, and will be adding to the numbers for next week, so all in all I am pretty happy with what we have.’
 
‘There can be problems putting a team together from scratch, and I will spend my time getting to know the players, but from first sight, cutting the squad down to fifteen for the game may be difficult, everyone looked in pretty good shape as well, which is a bonus for me, now I can concentrate on skills, and looking to build a team for a ‘derby’ game. It might be a friendly fixture, but believe me; both sets of players will be up for this, so it should make for a cracking game.’

The Rivals match is still open for anyone wishing to join, with the opportunity to play at Dens against United the carrot, if one was needed. To add your name to the candidates for the Dundee team, simply email your details to dundee@rivals4charity.co.uk

 

Dundee Fair Trade Forum Follow Up

Fair Trade Fortnight began on Monday 25th Feb, and to mark the event, Dundee FC Supporters’ Society invited the Dundee Fair Trade Forum to Dens under the Community Initiative, to allow them the chance to raise the profile of fair Trade Fortnight, and the Dundee Fair Trade Forum.

 

The Society caught up with Dundee Fair Trade Forum convenor Richard McCreadie, to find out how the night went, and a bit more about Fair Trade products. ‘Fair Trade is about making sure people are treated fairly, and how they produce goods, making sure that everybody gets a fair wage for the jobs that they do, the work they do, and making sure that we pay a fair price for the goods that we buy. Fair Trade fortnight started on the 25th, and Scotland was declared a Fair Trade Nation that day, so it is a really good time to support Fair Trade.’

 

‘Fair trade products help people who produce these goods in the developing world, and by buying these goods, you can make a difference to the lives of these people. Everyone knows about Fair Trade products like tea and coffee, but it is about more than that, it’s about who produces sporting goods, footballs, things like that. I believe the next big initiative from the Scottish Fair trade forum will focus on sporting goods, and I believe Dundee FC are one club that is looking to be supportive of that, so it is important that we get the word out there to football and sporting fans.’

 

‘ One of our active members, Art McGuinness is a season ticket holder at Dens, and he saw the community work going on at Dens, and managed to arrange a slot for us. It is great that Dundee FC Supporters’ Society, and Dundee FC take their role in the community seriously, Dundee are taking their responsibilities seriously, a football club can be the heart of a community, and Dundee FC and the Supporters’ Society obviously take that seriously, and it is great that they do. The fans as well play their part; they have engaged with us tonight, they have been very interested in what we have to say, we have had a very good reception from the Dundee fans, and I would like to thank them for that.’

 

‘I would also like to thank everyone involved in our visit tonight, Jacqui Robertson was fantastic organising our visit, and making sure we were well looked after on the night. We got to promote our work to the fans, and see a very good game of football as well. Getting the signed shirt and ball as well, it means we can use those items to further raise awareness and promote Fair Trade in the city.’

 

Community Director Jacqui Robertson was delighted to welcome Dundee Fair Trade Forum to Dens as part of the Community initiative during Fair Trade fortnight. ‘When season ticket holder Art McGuiness approached me about Dundee Fair Trade Forum being part of the Community Initiative, I was delighted to be able to help out. Fair Trade is a way for Dundee supporters, and everyone in Dundee to help people in the developing world, to change the lives of people. Buying fair trade products can do that, and to be able to give Dundee Fair Trade Forum a platform to promote their work allows the club and Society to show support for Fair Trade.’

 

‘Fair Trade is an idea we all know a bit about, we all know about Fair Trade goods, but to find out more about the range of goods, and the difference it can make, the good it does for whole communities was fantastic, and to know we can all do our bit to help by simply switching to Fair Trade products is a message I was keen to help deliver. I hope Fair trade fortnight is a success for Dundee Fair Trade Forum, and would like to thank them for taking the time to spread that word at Dens.’

 

Dundee FC Supporters’ Society would like to add their thanks to those of our Community Director, and would like to wish Dundee Fair Trade Forum success in their current campaign. Having witnessed the reception not just towards Dundee Fair Trade Forum, but every charity this season, the Supporters’ Society would also like to thank the Dundee fans for receiving them all fantastically, and showing interest in the work they do. The Community Initiative has shown time and time again that, while taking nothing away from the footballing side of operations, Dundee FC Supporters Society take their community role seriously, and would like to publicly thank Jacqui for all her hard work with this fantastic Initiative.

Auction for Lennon Fund

Tonight on facebook an auction is to be held to raise money for Lennon Thomson , the little boy who was a guest at Dens earlier in the season, among the items available for bidding are a few of particular interest to Dundee fans, a signed shirt and ticket to the Hall of Fame dinner amongst them.

To take part in the auction, you must have a facebook account, follow this link https://www.facebook.com/events/517359178294837/ and then join the group.

The Society would like to wish Lennon and his family all the very best tonight, and hope that as many people as possible will join in with the event

Dundee Schools Select

On Friday 22 February, Society Directors John Keith, Jacqui Robertson and Grant Cook took a trip to Station Park, Forfar to take part in the official handover of two new sets of strips to Dundee Primary Schools Football team. In partnership with ArabTrust, Dundee FC Supporters’ Society were happy to help fund the cost of strips for the Schools select team.

 

With the select side taking on Angus on the Station Park pitch, John Keith explained why the Society helps fund strips for the teams. ‘ The Society and ArabTrust came together to help fund these strips after Gerry Dignan came to us asking for help. It is important for football in Dundee to have our select side represented on the national stage, and its important for the players that they look good.’

 

‘Ourselves and ArabTrust sponsor the shirts, as well as contributing to the schools League set up, and we feel this is something a community club should be doing, encouraging young players to get involved in organised football.’The Society caught up with four of the players to see how they felt about a sponsorship deal that sees their shirts with the logo of both fans trust on them.  Craig Heggie from Clepington Primary, Finlay Robertson from Hillside Primary, Liam Philips from Craigowl Primary and Declan Storrier from Lochee Primary got a taste of  life as a professional player, as they faced the press (or Society Directors) to talk about the new strips.

 

The four young representatives from the select side were certainly pleased with the new strips, and felt that the more professional look to the side can only help with team spirit, as they head to a big tournament in Aberdeen next month. While the games on Friday were only a friendly, the boys were all of the opinion that the new look would help.

 

The boys were also very appreciative of the help recieved from both fans Trusts, saying they thought it was great that both local clubs were prepared to help out and supply strips for the select team.

 

The games between the two select sides were very entertaining, with some of the skills on show well worth the trip to Forfar to see the games. Society Director Grant Cook was impressed with what he saw. ‘Both the Angus and Dundee teams put on a great show tomight, the football was played in a great spirit, and there was some fantastic football being played. For the two trusts to come together to sponsor these kits means the city of Dundee can be proud of not only the football the Select team plays, but the way they look as well.’

 

Dundee FC Supporters’ society are delighted to join forces with our neighbours to sponsor the strips, and to be involved  in nurturing young football players in Dundee, who knows, we may see some of these players in Dark Blue in the coming years.

Dundee Fair Trade Forum

FAIRTRADE FORTNIGHT
25th February – 10th March


On Wed 27th Feb, under the Community Initiative, Dundee FC Supporters’ Society are delighted to welcome a delegation from Dundee Fair Trade Forum. The forum looks to promote the use of Fair Trade products, and below is an outline of some of the work they do.

When we are enjoying a cup of coffee or a piece of chocolate, how much do we consider the lives of the people who grow the coffee beans or the cocoa pods? Fairtrade Fortnight is a time when we think especially about all the people who produce the food we love, and take a stand against the injustices they face in the global marketplace.

Despite producing lots of food for export, small-scale farmers in poorer countries often struggle to provide for themselves and their families.  Ironically they are the ones most likely to go hungry in the world, and in uncertain times are the ones who are hit hardest. 

 
While solving the world’s hunger problem will take considerable political effort, all of us can do our bit every time we go shopping!  Just by choosing a product which has the FAIRTRADE symbol, we can all make a difference to the lives of some of the most marginalised people in the world.  There are now around 5000 such products available, not just bananas and chocolate, but also olive oil, beans, beauty creams, cotton and even footballs!  Together sales reached a billion pounds in the UK last year, representing 1% of the money we spend.

Fair trade is an alternative model of trade and is unique in being the only trading system to have poverty reduction at its core.  It is about better prices, decent working conditions, local sustainability, and fair terms of trade for farmers and workers in the developing world. By requiring companies to pay sustainable prices (which must never fall lower than the market price), fair trade addresses the injustices of conventional trade, which traditionally discriminates against the poorest, weakest producers. Fair trade enables producers to improve their position and have more control over their lives.   It is about a fair day’s pay for a fair day’s work, and ensures that people in the developing world are treated in a similar way to how we would like to be treated here in Dundee.   
In 2004, Dundee became Scotland’s first Fairtrade City!  This means that Fairtrade products are widely available in shops and cafes throughout the city, and that businesses and workplaces here support fair trade.  Dundee City Council has a policy which includes serving Fairtrade tea and coffee at Council meetings and when offering hospitality.

With representation from the Council, the Dundee Fair Trade Forum (DFTF) is working hard to build a fairer world here in Dundee and across the world.  One way in which it does this is by running a stall selling Fairtrade products at the annual Food & Flower Festival. This has proved popular with shoppers at the festival, especially as Fairtrade products are of high quality, though don’t necessarily cost more!  Last year, DFTF arranged events at Dundee University, Mcmanus Galleries and Morgan Academy for visiting sugar producer, Masauko Khembo.  This enabled adults and children to hear directly of the benefits which Fairtrade has brought to Masauko’s community in Malawi.  Some of these were things we would take for granted, like an ambulance and a primary school.

Dundee FC fan Art McGuinness has been volunteering with the Dundee Fair Trade Forum for the last year and has become heavily involved. He previously sold many Fairtrade products in his deli and was always hearing positive comments about the products from his customers. He is keen to work with the club to have Fairtrade products used in hospitality and beyond.
In keeping with its values of justice, compassion and integrity, Scotland will shortly announce that it is a Fair Trade Nation!  Dundee is part of that wider movement to value what is important in life - that is meeting the needs and rights of people everywhere, whether a tea picker in Kenya or a football supporter in Dundee!

To find out more please visit our website, www.ftfdundee.comli.com

Dundee FC Supporters’ Society would like to welcome Dundee Fair Trade Forum to Dens for the visit of St Johnstone, and hope that Dundee fans take some time to visit the stall, or read the leaflets, and possibly learn something about the work done by Dundee Fair Trade Forum, and Fair Trade organisations all over the world.

See also-
Scottish Fair Trade Forum – www.sftf.org.uk
Fairtrade Foundation – www.fairtrade.org.uk
Traidcraft – www.traidcraftshop.co.uk

Seniors Meeting/ Penman Lounge

The next meeting of the Seniors Group will take place on Thursday 28th of February with Bobby Waddell as guest speaker. The meeting will take place in the Legends Lounge at 11 am, and all are welcome.

Apologies for any confusion over the dates for this meeting.

The Penman lounge will once again be available pre and post match on Wednesday for the visit of St Johnstone, and half time 'Fayre for a Fiver' will also be available.