Press Release Article

Monday 23rd July 2001: New Trust Chairman is 100 per cent a United fan

THE newly elected chairman of the Carlisle and Cumbria United Independent Supporters' Trust, Mike Corry, can justifiably claim to be one of United's most committed fans after racking up a 100 per cent record home and away last season.

Mr Corry, who is Carlisle born, is finance director of the North East-based Hathaway Roofing company for whom he has worked for the past 18 years. But although he currently lives in Co. Durham, he is one of Carlisle United's keenest home and away supporters and writes about the club's matches on his own computer website and for regional newspapers.

He went to Inglewood Junior School, Harraby, and after leaving Carlisle Grammar School went to work for the Midland Bank in Court Square, Carlisle. Subsequently he moved to branches in Southport and Liverpool and joined the Bank of Scotland for whom he worked in Carlisle and Stockton on Tees. Mike took up a career in accountancy, joining a small engineering company in Darlington, and worked for a mining machinery firm prior to taking up a post with Hathaway who carry out major industrial roofing projects such as the Toyota plant in Derby and are currently involved in design work for the new £26million terminal at Heathrow.

He saw his first Carlisle game, at home to Exeter, in 1957 at the age of six and his first season as a regular was 1960-61. His late father had been a United supporter all his life and actually saw the first league game in 1928. Mike, who is married with three sons, has watched United home and away hundreds of times since and last season was the first when he managed a 100 per cent attendance record.

The Trust (CCUIST) was set up towards the end of last season by a group of United supporters concerned about events at the club and keen to establish a share fund with the eventual aim of getting meaningful supporter representation on the Board. Until last week it had operated without a formal chairman and Mr Corry was appointed at a meeting on Sunday. Alan Steel continues as the Trust's secretary. Mr Corry said: "The membership of the Trust is growing and it has become a far bigger entity at this stage than we anticipated. Therefore there is a need to spread the workload."