Proud after the fight ends

On countless occasions I have been proud to stand amongst Addicks but I am in awe of the tireless and selfless work of those at CARD, as well as other groups that led the fight against Roland Duchatelet’s dictatorship.

ROT, WAR and particularly the B20, who really got under Duchatelet’s skin in his own back yard, have all downed weapons and declared peace.

Add to that the many benevolent supporters who backed the efforts either financially or with their time, it was incredible to see Addicks again mobilized into action to protect our little piece of heritage in London SE7.

CARD raised £60,000 for their protest fund, an incredible amount of money, and they announced this week that the remaining monies will be shared out to various causes.

The fantastic Upbeats, the Demelza House in Eltham and Charlton Park Riding for the Disabled Association will all benefit. B20 donated their remaining funds to the Upbeats as well.

CARD have also used some of the leftover money to support a couple of fan-led initiatives. As they so rightly state we have had too much internal fan ire, although the volunteer run Charlton Athletic Museum has been a shining light in recent years, and they and the Charlton Athletic Supporters Trust will both ‘profit’ with CAST ring-fencing the money to use as they see fit in helping to rebuild the fan base and it’s relationship with the club.

Lastly the Pierre Bolangi Memorial Garden has been given a donation, although doubt remains over the future of the memorial. Hopefully under better times the club will allow it to be re-established at Sparrows Lane.

To remember the tragic circumstances around Pierre Bolangi’s death, this article was recently sent to me, which is very worth a read.