As we approach the one-year anniversary of the fire at SJP and ahead of the forthcoming Fans’ Forum, we can give supporters and owners a further update on the position regarding the Trust Fire Fund. 

We were of course obliged as a supporter owned club to facilitate donations and fundraising from Trust members and our wider supporter base in the immediate aftermath of the fire. The total fundraising effort, from the GoFundMe appeal and through other donation channels, raised more than £88,000. 

You may recall that we told you towards the end of November 2025, that £50,000 of this money was advanced to the Football Club ahead of insurance money potentially being received. This advance of money from the fundraiser helped facilitate necessary repair and remediation works at SJP, along with an initial advance of funds from the Club’s insurer that was provided. The swift repair work enabled the incident control room to be back in action only a few weeks after the fire, enabling home matches to be hosted starting with the FA Cup match against Wycombe Wanderers.

Before the final insurance claim could be submitted to the Club’s insurers, various elements of remedial and repair works were required at the stadium which could only be undertaken during the summer and off-season break. The final claim will be submitted soon and will need to be assessed by the insurers, but the Club anticipates that the repair works required will be covered by insurance. 

The Trust anticipated at the very start of the fundraising that there was a possibility that funds raised would eventually not be needed to support repairs and remedial work associated with the fire, due to being superseded by the Club’s insurance cover. We explained in the GoFundMe fundraiser, that any money raised that was not ultimately required to meet the repair costs would be earmarked for future infrastructure improvements at St James Park, so that donors were fully aware. This is now happening and has already enabled the purchase of the Grecian Grill facility in the Fan Zone, along with installation of new signage and public address systems at SJP.

Out of the £50,000 advanced to the Club, about £25,000 remains to be re-directed to similar projects. The Trust and the Club has developed an internal monitoring spreadsheet to track the use of these funds. In addition, the Trust is holding about £39,000 in a ringfenced budget.

These funds are available to support further infrastructure improvements at SJP which can be used to enhance the matchday experience and may also help to drive increased revenues to the Football Club. In the case of the Grecian Grill project, the Trust will share in the first year of profits made from the facility. Further updates on the balance of the Fire Fund and infrastructure projects will be regularly shared with Trust members both through Trust Board meetings and through other communications, as we have been doing from the outset. Any ideas for additional projects at SJP would always be gratefully received, and you can submit these via the Trust Contact form by clicking here.

It’s really important to acknowledge that the monies donated through the Trust’s fundraising provided a critical bridging facility to pay for the repair work at a time when finances at the Club were extremely tight, in advance of the insurance claim being processed. This was a vital lifeline at a very difficult time.

The Trust and Club remain immensely grateful for the continued generosity of our owners and supporters.