A Thank You From The Founders Trail 2009-2018.
The Founders Trail was formed in the summer of 2009 when we took a group on a walking tour of Glasgow visiting a few sites relating to our Founders that our research had unearthed….this was to crumble in spectacular fashion when a refreshment break was had at a West End Pub!
We then took the logical step forward and the first Trail by bus took to the streets of Glasgow in the November of 2009,we then approached the Club in early 2010 and had the Stadium Tour added to our day.
In 2010 we operated a total of three Founders Trails , 2017 saw this escalate to an incredible 27!
Our first seven Tours of 2018 are sold out and March will see us celebrate our 100th Founders Trail.
Since 2010 we’ve taken almost 7,000 people around on the Trail and through the front doors of Ibrox for the Stadium Tour,many for the first time.
We’ve met an incredible array of characters and become friends with people all over the country, the Rangers Family is spread far and wide!
An increasing amount of our Supporters Clubs are booking the Founders Trail which is extremely important as it’s vital that the education process behind the project reaches as many people as possible.It’s today’s youngsters who will take our story forward.
Many Charities have benefitted from the Founders Trail including The Beatson, Yorkhill, Erskine Hospital and Poppy Scotland.
Our Board of Directors took the Founders Trail with us in November 2016 as did 32 Ibrox office staff in January of 2017.
We have a close relationship with the Rangers Youth Development Company which we support by buying Stadium Bricks, these are used as prizes for our now legendary raffle which we hold during our Trail food and refreshment break.
Match tickets are also purchased for this purpose which again is our way of putting your money back into the Club.
Since 2009 the Founders Trail has generated for the Club almost £60,000 in revenue from our sales of Stadium Tours.
The media team at the Club have assisted the project greatly by regularly posting updates on the Club website, the Founders Trail advert is a feature on the screens at Ibrox.
The Founders Trail Roadshow was launched in 2014 which has seen us take our wonderful story out to supporters clubs, lodges and organisations all around the country from Harthill to Belfast and Campbeltown to Thringstone.
These events let us deliver our story to those who perhaps can’t come to Glasgow due to time constraint and cost.Many Clubs use the Presentation evenings as a fund-raising event.
We have many presentation events booked for 2018 that include Plymouth and Fraserburgh.
We have also made great progress with the Restoration of Rangers Graves Project.
It gave us a great sense of satisfaction as just last month the final touch was put to the 30th plot that we’ve restored over the last three years with many more to attend to.
2017 saw the Restoration Project extend into helping those bereaved by the Ibrox Disasters.
As the curtain draws on 2017 we’d like to thank everyone who has helped and supported the Founders Project over the last seven years and wish each and every one of you good health and a prosperous 2018.
Iain and Gordon.
https://www.thefounderstrail.co.uk/