C.H.A.O.S. Update

Afternoon all,

I've been meaning to update everyone for a few weeks now on how the sales of C.H.A.O.S. are going and how much money we've raised for our chosen charity, the British Heart Foundation, but as will become clear I've not been able to.

The good news is that I am nearly out (at last count I had 4 copies left) and, after an initially slow start, the club shop managed to sell another 9 copies over the last couple of months so that, when I checked with them prior to the Guiseley match at EP, they only had 9 left (including a particularly well-worn copy on the front counter that is probably now unlikely to sell).

To make things easier for the club shop when I first dropped their copies off, I gave them several 1p pieces so that, if anyone did want their change from £7 rather than leave it to charity, they didn't need to mess about trying to put it through the till. As such, they were keeping the money in a mug under the counter.

Delighted as I was with the 9 further sales, which meant a further £63 to the charity (as we had by this point broken even on the printing costs), I was somewhat shocked when they checked the mug and there was nothing there.

The lady felt sure that the cash had simply been placed in the club safe to keep it...erm... safe, but she couldn't get access. I left my mobile number and e-mail address so that this could be sorted, but having heard nothing further I sent an e-mail to the club explaining that I would call in prior to Saturday's game against Hednesford and could they have it ready for me.

I wasn't entirely surprised when I got no response and, more importantly, when it wasn't ready when I got there on Saturday. I was assured that they would deal with it and that the money would be waiting if I came back after the game.

Guess what? Nope. I was told that the money must have been banked 'by accident' even though it was in a mug under the counter with all my details in.

So, having accepted a final promise that, if I left my bank details, e-mail address and mobile number, the money would be transferred to my account urgently, I have since chased again by e-mail warning that I needed to update our members on how we were doing and that I would be revealing what had happened unless the money turned up by the end of yesterday.

So, as things stand, we have indeed broken even and I have £108.29 for charity at home. On top of this, I am owed the sum of £63 by County and sincerely hope I will not have to take further action to recover money from them that is now being withheld from a worthwhile charity.

For obvious reasons, this is why we won't be asking the club shop to stock the Yearbook, and why, unless I receive the funds and an explanation by the last game of the season (as I cannot make the Alty match due to being away) I'll have to remove the final 9 copies from the club shop and try and sell them myself.

I am very, very disappointed and was hoping to not have to reveal what has happened, but have given the club long enough to rectify their error.

Hopefully, by making this public knowledge, it might be the incentive that is needed for the money to be returned to me. If it is, with an apology, then I'll consider that the end of the matter.

This is not intended in any way to be blackmail in an attempt to force the club to cough up, and I do not want to fall out with anyone involved as I am grateful for them agreeing to stock the book in the first place, but enough is enough.