Thetownend.com

Ok then. The Trust have a mandate from last night's open forum to organise a protest march on Saturday and the Police have given their approval.

I have volunteered my services to organise and coordinate this activity. This is not a "Trust" protest - we have to put aside any distinctions between fans' groups and individuals and collectively act in the interests of keeping this club alive.

The objective of the march will be to raise the awareness of the general public of Swindon, so it will be going through the town centre. The message will be that if we want to have League Football in Swindon in the future then now is the time to act. Save Our Swindon/support your local club will be the message. "Get yourselves down to the County Ground this afternoon and show you care - turn out for the team and make your voice heard during the match and afterwards. This could be the last match Swindon Town ever play."

The march will go via the Magic Roundabout. Although we do not have a decision about what we can or cannot do legally in the way of protests there yet (it may well be that we congregate on the grass area by the roundabout - highly visible to traffic but not disruptive or provocative), it will be en route just in case.

Of all of the protest suggested, this will be the most labour intensive and we don't have much time. To this end, I need volunteers to help. We have to have people who are prepared to steward the march, to get banners and placards designed, printed and assembled and so on. If you are up for this or want to help in any way you can, please could you either PM me or post on this thread.

We will need to meet quickly, so if you can come to the County Ground Hotel tonight (Tuesday) at 8pm I would really appreciate it.

Thanks in anticipation.

Let's do it.

I'll help any way I can with what time I have, but I'm working till 10 so can't be there tonight. If you have bits that need doing just pm me and i'll get on it.

Could someone cross post this on MoS for me as I'm not a member. Please edit to point any contact via here?

Thanks.

Alan I have posted the message on MoS.  I cannot make tonight as I'm working till late but can be there early Saturday if you need any help then.  So just keep me updated if you need any help.

some of us are playing footy at 8 tonight.

I know (although you look a bit short on numbers).

What is more important?

my cold :(

i'd rather play football to be perfectly honest.

I can't make tonight but I can offer to help after 11am on saturday as steward etc if need be Alan.  I'll be dragging a little 7 year old along for the ride as well I think.

Ideal - the more families we have involved in this the better.

This march is about Swindon and community.

I will try and get all of my monsters along as well  :D

I'll see if I can rope my parents in and Zeb if he is awake (on nights)

well done alan.count me in!!!
cant make the meeting due to work but will be there on saturday

Apologies if I have missed it somewhere but what time is the march on Saturday ?
Are we hoping to get there early on masse and have a bit of a sing-song or arrive fashionably late so when the game kicks off there will be lots ( hopefully ) of empty seats, then we all pile in and make it very noticeable ?

i think the meeting tonight will decide the particulars returnofthereds

Al, I'm down in Chichester tonight but will be back Friday and around on Saturday to help if needed.

To be discussed tonight.

I think probably 1pm-ish at Faringdon Road Park, 1:30-1:45 at the Magic Roundabout. If there is a protest there then it still gives people time for a pre-match beer or two afterwards if they are that way inclined.

The weather forecast looks good for Saturday at the moment.

I'll be there. (As long as you don't walk too fast)

Alan, I cant make tonight either, please let me know the outcome, I will be there Saturday and bring quite a few people with me.

i think this will get a good turnout saturday.
i suggest the march starts around 1.30-2 ish.but i will fully support what is decided tonight.
plenty of pubs near faringdon road park for pre march refreshments so aint bothered about pub post march personally

Please don't start too early as us out of towners need to park up and get to the starting point.

it's never gonna start THAT early, just get out of bed a bit earlier.

Just listened to the 1:00pm news on RS and this is being announced as a trust organised march.

Spot on.

On a different note they painted the greyhound on faringdon road, black. Looks awful.

If we are going to march we need as many people to stay together right til the end and ideally don't want many leaving as soon as we get to the magic roundabout.

I would suggest 2pm start time, that way you allow for people to arrive from out of time and some can go to the pub beforehand if need be.

I will be there at some stage hopefully. I have to meet someone else at some stage in the evening though

This is a great idea. March to the MR and see what we can do from there. I shall be marching along on Saturday

On reflection, getting to the MR by 1:45pm is probably about right.

If there is a protest there then people can make the choice either to stay and demonstrate right up until KO if they want (and hey - tinned beer isn't that bad  :wink: ), encourage more fans to join in etc or alternatively pop into the pub. And come back again...

We're trying to cater for all tastes here btw. Mine's a Guinness.

Dont think I'll be joining in but good luck with it.

why not?

He's being a negative nancy.

I wont be marching anywhere either. I dont see the point. Although good luck to those of you that do.

I'll be outside teh Arkells after the game though

Lazy bastard.

 :mrgreen:  

OK comprimise, I'll march to the pub :wink:

I can't make tonight, but will be there on sat. Can we have a later start time tho'. I will need to park up, get my ticket, walk to Farringdon road which will take time. Suggest we start at 2 pm,  and/ or from closer to the ground, then people going to the match can join us en-route. Go much earlier & we will miss a lot of them.

I think its a shit idea.

I'll do whatevers needed at the County Ground though.

 :? The point is to save the club.  The march gets us local and national media coverage, the march will be through town centre so it will thrust it into ordinary people's mindset who didn't know how seriously the situation is with the football club having the threat of extinction.  I don't understand why you wouldn't attend the very thing Paul Davis discussed about in the adver with a call for 'all fans to be united' is going to lose numbers simply because people just don't like the idea.  If you want the board out and want to save the club, get along and support all the ideas.

No. I'll do whatever I like thanks.

In my opinion I think it will do fuck all "to thrust it into ordinary people's mindset who didn't know how seriously the situation is with the football club having the threat of extinction" as most of the people you ae targeting are deeply apathetic about STFC.

I hope I'm wrong-  thousands turn up, half the town get behind the campaign. Untill then get off your fucking high horse and stop telling me what I should or shouldnt be doing. i'll protest as i see fit.

See you outside the Arkells. Hugs and kisses. Colin.

Hmm Spaceys made me feel guilty,I might join in.

fair enough dude

In my opinion anything pro-active is going to do something, at the moment we have the board running scared and the media are covering everything and no matter what you say hundreds of people marching through the town centre with banners, placards and singing will turn some heads.  People will read the stuff on the banners, placards and I would be very surprised if it didn't influence anyone.  Also it will give us some more publicity which would be great as we need to keep this in the spotlight more than ever.  I will be outside Arkells as well so see you there.

We have a meeting with Wiltshire Police tomorrow to go through the protest plans.

It looks likely that we will get the go ahead for some form of MR protest, subject to a nod from them tomorrow.

So the march will end at the MR and join in with the banner guys. Then on with the match followed by the back of the Arkells.

A day of protest indeed.

Sounds good. Let's hope we can get the message accross.

Don't lie, it was my brilliant pub crawl idea that swayed things. Anyway we've got new investors, and apparently the protest clashes with a Queen Latifah double bill on Living TV, so I'm undecided now.

Route and timings sorted, list of volunteers compiled.

Just need to clear it with the police tomorrow  :D

any update on this yet??
route,times.etc?

I think the meeting with the police is in the afternoon. I'm sure Alan will post asap as soon as we know the score.

8)  i'm well up for this.more so than ever infact

any news yet ?

none yet mate

Alan and Paul are meeting with the OB at 2.00 pm so will know much more detail after that

I think someone should suply me with a decorated wheelchair for the march.

It could be used as a symbol as to how they have crippled our club :D

any news yet ?

Fucking double posts. Cheers andy

Alan cant now make this meeting so I am going with Paul instead. Once the meeting has finished we will post an update statement on the Trust website.

Cool. Let's see what the OB have to say about the roundabout idea.

i think its pretty obvious they wont want people congregating on the roundabout.

 :nod:

traffic management/control is part of their job. i think they might realise that even without official endorsment, there will be people who go ahead with it anyway so it'd be in their interests to police it regardless...

if we can't actually go on the magicroundabout, how about lining up around the edge of it on the pavement?

there will be disruption to traffic as the march takes place(subject to route which i dont know)and i'm sure police will be able to manage this and wont mind.
but blocking of traffic needlessly wont be tolerated by police i'm sure.
theres plenty of room as sonic has said in the roundabout area anyway

The police effectively close the roads anyway when teams such as Swansea, Leeds, millwall etc visit

Please can somebody post on MoS in the appropriate thread that the march has been postponed and refer to Fred's thread on here?

Thanks.

already done Al

Thanks mate.

Tying up the loose ends (for now).