Two first class rail tickets between Cardiff and London have been kindly donated to the Fred Keenor Statue Appeal by Welsh Assembly Member Mark Drakeford and MP Kevin Brennan who were given the tickets for the use of a good cause in their Cardiff West constituency.

We are auctioning the tickets in aid of the statue appeal. They are open tickets and can be used even at peak time to get to London. Flexible first class peak tickets, like these, can cost up to £300 each, depending on what time you travel.

If you’re aiming to go to Wembley for the Carling Cup Final why not travel in style and perhaps even make a weekend of this fantastic occasion for Cardiff City fans. Or perhaps you’re going to the England v Wales rugby international at Twickenham.

You could use them for a shopping or theatre trip to London or to travel to London if you’re going to the Olympics. This would also make a great gift for a loved one.

There is a reserve for the two tickets and all profits from the ticket sale will go the statue appeal to honour the captain of Cardiff City’s FA Cup winning team of 1927. I’m a member of the fundraising committee of the Fred Keenor statue appeal and I’m selling it on their behalf. All profits raised from the tickets sale will go to the appeal.

We need to raise £85,000 and have so far reached £45,000.

First class passengers on First Great Western get:

• reclining, spacious leather seats
• quiet, relaxed atmosphere
• tables at every seat, with power sockets for your laptop or mobile phone
• room to work or relax
• at-seat service from one of our Customer Hosts on many journeys
• complimentary refreshments throughout your journey
• a selection of products from our Express Café that you can buy at your seat
• complimentary newspaper
• exclusive access to First Class Lounges at London Paddington and Cardiff Central.
  
• Bidon http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=150745731090

The appeal to raise a statue to Cardiff City legend Fred Keenor has reached a landmark total – £45,000.

That means the appeal committee will now be able to apply for £15,000 promised by Cardiff council once invoices for the work carried out by artist Roger Andrews have been received.

Roger, who is from Llantwit Major, has started work on the statue from a workshop in Llantwit Major – but even with the council donation we will still need to raise another £25,000.

David Craig, the appeal fund’s project manager and a Trust board member, said: “Thanks to the fantastic support of Bluebirds fans we have reached an initial target of £45,000.This allows us to apply for funding from Cardiff council once we receive and pay the invoices for the work carried out by Roger.

“But there can be no let up in the funding because even with the council’s £15,000 donation, we still need to raise a substantial sum to make the dream a reality.

“We know the quality of work that Roger produces – you only have to look at the Sir Tasker Watkins statue outside the Millennium Stadium. Fans have dug deep in these difficult times but we still need everyone to pull together to make this a reality.”

The appeal was launched less than two years ago in April 2010.

Mr Craig said that a number of fundraisers were planned during 2012 and the Cardiff City Supporters’ Club was also planning to hold events in aid of the appeal.

“We have had some substantial individual donations of up to £500 while children have handed over their pocket money which is fantastic.

“There’s also been great support from local businesses and from Cardiff City Football Club.

“It would be fantastic if we could hit that £85,000 total this year, enabling the statue to be erected in a very prominent position outside the Cardiff City Stadium. This is a project for all City fans – please help us reach our target.”

A raffle will be held in aid of the appeal at the celebration at the Cardiff City Stadium next month to mark the 10^th anniversary of the FA Cup triumph over Leeds United.

Donations to the appeal fund can be made through the Co-operative Bank:

Account name: – Fred Keenor Statue Fund or FKSF
Account no 65392368
Sort Code 08-92-99

Donations can also be made at the Trust office (near Gate 5) on match days while cheques can also be sent c/o CCST to PO Box 4254, Cardiff, CF14 8FD. Please add the words “Fred Keenor Appeal” on the top of the envelope.

Great news that ticket sales for the Leeds 10th anniversary event on Tuesday, February 21, have now topped 200.

It should be be a special night coming less than a week before the big match at Wembley. Kav will be there along with Scott Young, Leggie and Earnie. It’s a must for City fans.

To book your tickets contact help@ccfctrust.org and don’t delay or you’re likely to miss out. Well done to Tracey and the membership team for their fantastic work on this great event.

Also thanks to Mike Morris for putting up on the Trust website the first two online editions of Trust magazine, Moving to a Different Beat. They are available for viewing by everyone.

The current edition is password protected at present and available for viewing only by Trust members. There are a couple of additional articles to the hard-copy version of the magazine.

Also we now have details of forthcoming events on the website.

As you will be aware City have not got a game on Saturday, January 28,  but fear not there is a match for you all to enjoy in South Wales that day.

Merthyr Town Football Club is trying to boost attendances for home matches and will offer all Cardiff City fans the chance to watch Merthyr Town v Wells City on Saturday  January 28, at Penydarren Park (3pm kick off) for the reduced entry price of just £5.00. (Children under-16 free).

City supporters will simply have to produce their season ticket or a match day ticket for (City v Pompey on 21st January 2012) to take advantage of this special offer…

Your fantastic support will be most welcome.

The Candac Suite Bar will be open in the main stand at Penydarren Park (12noon until late) for all your liquid refreshment needs.

Good luck for the rest of the season…!!

M.T.F.C.