As many of you may already know, Queens fan Richie Nicoll along with a committee of other lifelong Queens supporters have set up the QOS Tanner Fund. They are delighted to report that initial response has been good but they have now reached the stage where they would like to step it up to the next level.

The purpose of the fund is to aid the manager’s playing fund for him to use to pay either in full or part players wages. The money would be raised through supporters who pay a monthly direct debit into a specific Tanner Fund account, which is fully controlled by the Tanner Fund committee. One off payments will also be accepted but the commitment to a monthly direct debit allows those in charge of the finances to have a reliable projected income. The hope is that they can reach the level of commitment required in time to start releasing the money to the Manager for recruiting players when the new season gets underway.

Similar projects have proved a major success for other teams across Scotland including at least two of our Championship competitors. At one club in particular the initiative has raised £100,000 over three years and it’s fair to say that at our level that makes a massive difference.

Although it’s set up and independently run by supporters of Queen of the South, the effort has the full backing of the Board of Directors and this week, Chairman, Billy Hewitson along with Craig Paterson and Mark Blount signed the QOS Tanner Fund pledge.

In these tough times and when Queens don’t have the budget to match other teams in Scotland, the Tanner Fund is committed to helping the Club raise additional funds with transparency to boost the Manager’s current playing budget. Direct debits can be set up to suit all budgets, if you wish to contribute a £1 that’s fine or if you can and are willing to pledge more that’s great, all the committee ask is that you set an amount that you can comfortably afford.

Donations can be made online via the GOFUNDME page or via direct debit - details for both are below.

Anyone wishing further information on the QOS Tanner Fund should email [email protected] or visit the Tanner Fund Facebook page https://www.facebook.com/QosTannerFund.