As is now tradition, we like to mark the end of the season with a few thank you's and messages to those who do that little bit extra throughout the season.
@thai malaysia addick kicks it all off with his opening fixture competition, which saw @suzisausage £175 better off and another £700 head its way to the Upbeats. Thai also carried out the Predictions Cup competitions throughout the 2nd half of the season, which provide a great supplement to the weekly Predictions League.
@shirty5 has continued to plough single-handedly through the gruelling weekly Predictions League for years now. I think the word 'stalwart' is apt, but we are so grateful for the time and effort he puts into this.
We had a knock at the door of Charlton Life Towers just before the season started, and standing there was @paulbaconsarnie . A copy of the Racing Post under one arm and a calculator and pencil case in the other, he was pleading for an internship in our Competions Department (truth be told I ambushed him with it!). We are very grateful though as its provided a great weekly comp to run alongside the Predictions League.
Whilst the Comp Dept happily churn away with 70s disco hits playing in the background, the Matchday Department has been a very somber affair throughout the year. @ForeverAddickted dealt with having zero assistance with the Previews by going mad and predicting us to win in every game, whilst @Redmidland @seth plum and others had the misfortune of providing updates on this season of classics. So impacting has it been, apparently @Redmidland signed a cheque 'GOAL....0-3' last week. Meanwhile @lancashire lad has continued to have the pleasure of totting up everyone's angry markings after every game and compile the Annual Statbank.
Alongside those that kindly help out with the moderating / administration, all the above go out there way to help make this a community that people feel part of, and we are eternally grateful to them for their time, input and being part of the CL family (and apologies for anyone else I may have forgotten).
This year has not been the norm by any means, and had seen rise to the protest movement against the regime running Charlton. This makes us on one hand so sad: one of the main purposes why we started CL was to try and foster a community that would be positive in its support for our club. And for nearly nine years, that's exactly what it was.
On the other hand, we are incredibly proud to see the level of involvement in the protest movement our members have thrown themselves into the last six months and that Charlton supporters are as unified now as they have ever been. Whether it be CARD and its growing army of volunteers, Protest Fund, Spell It Out, Belgium trips, the Trust, Liar banners, slow returners of the ball, Directors Box etc, all these things have seen a strong core of members of this community at the central heart of it. People are not just reading things online, wanting to others to do the work on their behalf, they are increasingly stepping up and getting involved and we should all be incredibly proud of that. The sheer time and effort people are prepared to put in is incredible, as is the level of talent and ingenuity that has emerged. £28k has also been donated now to the Protest Fund, and the vast majority of that is down to the members of this community.
On the positive side, it was great amidst activism that we saw such strong support once again in our efforts to support the Community Trust and its Upbeats scheme.
Just scanning down the donations list for Lifer involvement that is noticeable and I can see in excess of £10,400 was raised / donated through the users on here alone, and I suspect the true figure is probably around the 13-14k mark. I know how grateful CACT and the Upbeats are for your continued, amazing generosity and embracement of our support for this scheme. Thanks additionally to the Lifer who arranged the four auction prizes that alone raised a staggering £1,315.
Finally, whilst we wish you all a fine summer and hope desperately that come August when we mark out 10th birthday things look more positive for our club, we lost another two of our members this season and our thoughts go to the friends and family of @Bryan_Kynsie and @USofAddick .
Have a nice summer
AFKA and Lookout