NEXT week the York City Supporters' Trust reaches a very significant milestone in its short history - we will be one-year-old.

It is fair to say that the last 12 months have been a roller coaster ride of emotions for all City fans. The Trust itself has had a varied and active first year, which began with our hugely successful launch night at the York Barbican Centre on February 1.

Almost 1,000 fans turned up to the event, hosted by ITV sports commentator and City fan Jon Champion. A string of former Minstermen heroes were on parade and cheered to the rafters as they regaled the audience on their City memories.

Crucially, a 14-strong steering committee were given a massive mandate to carry out the business of the Trust until the annual general meeting in June.

A total of over 1,500 people joined the Trust during our first year - one of the best-supported Trusts in the country in terms of membership numbers, and the very best in terms of membership compared to average home attendance figure.

At our inaugural annual general meeting in June, a total of 25 people stood for election to the board - believed to be the biggest ever for a football trust - and the 11 elected members have since worked tirelessly under the chairmanship of Richard Snowball.

One of the aims of the Trust is to strengthen the bonds between the club and the community, which it serves. Throughout the year we have been out and about promoting the club in the community. We have been present at a number of local carnivals during the summer, set up several stalls in and around the city centre and sponsor the Ryedale Junior Football League, a league consisting of 32 Under-11 teams playing in three divisions covering an area from Pickering to Selby.

During the year, we have also helped the fans of other clubs to form their own trusts - we have attended launches at Bury, Derby County, Halifax Town and Notts County, and much closer to home we have forged a relationship with the supporters of the newly-formed York City Knights RLFC.

More than £100,000 was raised in our first year through a series of fund-raising events - from the Shed Seven benefit concert to sponsored walks, specially brewed beers and bucket collections - every penny has counted and we are extremely grateful to everybody who has contributed.

The Trust played its part in the open day held at Bootham Crescent in September - a chance for the fans (and the whole community) to meet the players and to take a look behind the scenes at the football club. Members of the Trust also gave up their own free time to revamp the Social Club during the year.

The work of the York City Supporters' Trust received national recognition at the Supporters' Direct 'Trust of the Season' awards ceremony in September, when we received a special commendation for our efforts.

During the past couple of months, representatives from the trust have been involved in numerous meetings and discussions with various parties who could play a key role in helping North Yorkshire's only professional Football League club to survive. Last week we safeguarded the future of the club in the short-term by committing a cash injection of £92,000 to support the club's operations over the next few weeks, and, at the time of writing, we have decided to submit our own bid for York City FC. We already have significant financial backing in place, but need further support from the people and businesses of York.

The central aims of the trust are no different now to a year ago. The club is important to the local community and to the status of both York and North Yorkshire. The trust will continue to work to develop a club that:

Embraces its relationships with the supporters;

Is at the heart of the community;

Provides leadership on issues like racism and drug abuse; and

Benefits, and benefits from, local business.

The formation of the York City Supporters' Trust was a significant point in the history of York City Football Club. Through the mechanism of the Trust, the supporters and the community have played, and, we hope, will continue to play a key role in helping to ensure professional football in York is maintained for future generations.

Support the Trust - Support York City.

You can contact the York City Supporters' Trust by post c/o Bootham Crescent, York Y030 7AQ or via www.ycst.org.uk

This column from the Trust was supplied by Robert Havercroft, a Trust spokesman.

Updated: 11:54 Thursday, January 23, 2003