The News We Have All Been Waiting For

Fans of football in Bury,

We are delighted to announce that today we closed on the purchase of Gigg Lane from the Administrator and it is now a community asset, free of debt or liabilities. We have also acquired the trading name, history and memorabilia of Bury FC. In this process we have attracted funding from the UK Government, America and a number of other local benefactors, none of whom expect any more return from their support than the satisfaction of seeing football return to the ground, and its expanded use for community sports and wellbeing.

We are very grateful for the outpouring of volunteer support for refurbishment of the stadium; more than 500 people have signed up and many local businesses have made kind donations. Details of when the refurbishment can begin will be announced in the coming days.

As we move into the next phase towards the return of Bury FC, there are other details that now need to be worked out. Gigg Lane is in better condition than we expected and we will be publishing a fast-track timeline for recertification of the ground to become the biggest and best facility in the borough in short order. In the next few days we will also be announcing the rebranding and future role for Forever Bury and the transition of Est. 1885. We remain fully committed to finding a consensual path with Bury AFC and will be restarting these discussions next week.

Henceforth, all major decisions will be subject to member vote, and an updated membership scheme will be announced next week. If you want a voice, we encourage you to become a member and vote. We will also communicate to our members far more regularly and with greater transparency.

We’d like to thank Stacey Bainer, Ross Cooper and Carl Scott from our lawyers Pinsent Masons who have gone above and beyond, on a very complex process, Gary Hellen & Associates who guided us through the grant application process, Andy Walsh for the support of the Football Supporters’ Association, Bury Council for their support in the process so far, and in the future, and the management of Bury AFC for their openness and engagement to date.

And finally our huge appreciation to James Daly our local MP for his tireless work gaining support all the way up to Boris Johnson and Michael Gove, and the team at the Department of Levelling Up Homes and Communities for their guidance, responsiveness and support.

P