Carlisle United’s supporters’ trust have announced that they have reached the 1,000-member milestone.

The figure has more than doubled in less than two years.

CUOSC membership has grown further in recent weeks amid the trust’s involvement in the Piatak family’s takeover bid for the Blues.

That follows a previous increase after the Unita Fortior movement which set up in January 2022.

That movement launched with an aim of increasing trust membership from around the 400 mark to 1,000.

Several UF members were elected to the CUOSC board in the summer of 2022 – including current CUOSC chair Matt Spooner and vice-chair Dan MacLennan – and, little more than a year later, they have reached the four-figure target.

The news means the trust have reached membership levels last seen in a brief period when season-ticket holders were automatically given CUOSC membership in 2015.

The announcement comes at a time trust members are voting on a resolution connected to the American Piatak family’s bid to take over the club.

The CUOSC board are unanimously urging members to vote in favour of the Florida business people’s plans.

Members have until 5pm on Wednesday to cast their vote, which will have a crucial part in the progress of the takeover.

Trust members were emailed on Monday with details on how to vote.

CUOSC said last night they had already received a large number of votes.

Many fans have already used social media to publicly declare their support for the Piataks.

After the voting closes, the result will be shared with the Piataks and United’s hierarchy, as well as members and the media.

Regarding the 1,000-member milestone, meanwhile, this is what the Unita Fortior group said about their aims when they launched in January 2022:

Success for this group would be a thousand fans committing to join up and then setting their own agenda, electing their own board, raising their own funds, and becoming a positive force for change and improvement. That’s it!

We have a Supporters Trust with approximately 400 members. That’s roughly 10 per cent of a home attendance. Of those 400, approximately 50 vote in the yearly Trust AGM. That’s roughly 1.25 per cent of a home attendance.

Incredibly poor figures when you break it down so simply, and it’s something we’d love to see increase rapidly!

Unita Fortior was mothballed after the election of several of its members to the CUOSC board.