Charlton Athletic’s independent Back to The Valley committee, which will oversee a calendar of events to mark the 25th anniversary of the club’s return to SE7 and the formation of the community scheme at Charlton Athletic, have announced further appointments.
In November, the formation of the committee was announced, with lifelong Charlton supporter Sir Stuart Etherington being confirmed as Chairman. He was joined by Addicks legend Keith Peacock and CEO of Charlton Athletic Community Trust Jason Morgan.
Chair of the Committee Sir Stuart Etherington said: “All those involved have a real history of support for the club as well as being truly committed to delivering a great anniversary year during 2017.
“More details will emerge during the planning stages but, to give a flavour of what is in store, the committee are looking to organise a charity concert, a fundraising dinner and, a charity game close to the actual anniversary date.
“Discussions are also progressing around the fixture in December where we plan to celebrate the 25 Years Back at The Valley. The committee have undertaken steps to keep fans up to date as the various events are finalised and look forward to receiving the support of everyone to ensure a fantastic year of anniversary celebrations and fundraising to support local projects and young people.”
The independent committee are now working together to finalise the calendar of events leading up to December 5th. The intention is to host a series of events as a fitting celebration of the 25th anniversary of the club's return to The Valley and the formation of the community scheme at Charlton Athletic, which became a registered charity; Charlton Athletic Community Trust (CACT), in 2003.
In addition to celebrating these momentous events in the club's history, the objective is for each event to raise funds that will benefit the local community. A target figure will be announced at a later date and where this money will be spent by CACT to support their charitable work.
The full committee now consists of:
· Sir Stuart Etherington: Chief Executive of the National Council for Voluntary Organisations. He is Chairman of the Patron's Fund, a former Chair of the University of Greenwich and a Charlton supporter
· Lord Michael Grade: Former Chief Executive of Channel 4 and Chairman of the BBC. A former Director of Charlton Athletic Football Club
· Jason Morgan: CEO of Charlton Athletic Community Trust, started the community programme in 1992
· Keith Peacock: Charlton’s record outfield appearance holder, club legend, former coach and now Club Ambassador
· Paul Martin: Retired senior corporate banker as Head of Charities & Social Enterprise at The Co-operative Bank and long-term season ticket holder in the Covered End
· Chris Parkes: Club Secretary at Charlton Athletic who has been working at the club since 1988