Bluebirds Trust- Share Contribution Scheme

The Final Hitch- In Europa

A fund-raising Barrow fan is getting his sign back out to hitch to Europe- in a bid to smash through a fundraising target. Bluebirds Trust chairman Steve Herbert will hitch-hike, from Furness to Cologne in Germany, via Harwich and the Hook of Holland.

The Bluebirds’ Trust campaign to raise £50,000 for a stake in Barrow AFC is reaching the home straight- with only eight and a half thousand pounds required till they reach the magic figure.

“The fans have been incredible, considering we only launched the scheme in November,” said Herbert. “It has been such a team effort. We have had contributions from far and near and supporters putting up prizes of their own to encourage share contributions. We have had also had collections, a Race Night and a raffle. So many different people have paid in, however the largest number of individual donations after Barrow itself is from Cologne in Germany. I’ve hitched before in the UK and raised a few thousand pounds, so this should be a great way to challenge myself and raise some money!”

The link between a group of FC Koln fans and Bluebirds Supporters is well established, beginning after Barrow fan Stu Nichols started attending Bundesliga games in 2014. Last year, one intrepid German fan attended Barrow games into double figures and there were six visitors for the Salford match at Christmas. 15-20 Barrow fans have visited, following FC all over Germany in recent years.

The Trust Chairman will begin his hitch from Booths roundabout (“the best place to hitch out of Furness) and head south in the early hours of Thursday 21st February, hoping to catch the night ferry to Holland. He plans to arrive in Cologne on the afternoon of Friday 22nd. He will attend FC Koln’s home game against SV Sandhausen.

Herbert is hopeful that sponsor money from the hitch, when added to share contributions, will be enough to reach the total early .

““We just need that final push and I’m sure we will provide it, he said. The club have been amazing and very helpful with the time they have given us to raise the money. I’d like to get it over the line quickly, so we can get on and plan for the future together."

You can find out more about the Hitch on the Trust's Social Media Channels and more on the Share Contribution Scheme at https://www.bluebirdstrust.co.uk/fanownership/