By Ross Parkinson - Carlisle United Supporters' Trust.

On Sunday, Carlisle United Official Supporters Club (CUOSC) became Carlisle United Supporters’ Trust at our very busy members' meeting.

Following the sale of the club to the Piatak family the role of the trust has gone from one of trying to push for new ownership and direction to one of supporting the club to progress both on and off the field.

Tom Piatak, who along with the rest of the family is a trust member, spoke at length at the meeting about the excellent relationship between the trust and the club and how much he values supporter input, which was typified by the numbers both present and watching on stream. We thank you for your input and questions.

Thanks also to John Watt for the excellent cakes. They were thoroughly enjoyed by all, especially young Craig.

We have also launched our new website, www.cust.org.uk. This new site now has integrated membership and join options along with information on our goals and responsibilities, and our new shop.

Sales from this shop will be used to support the club and fund trust events and experiences, such as our member hospitality draws, player sponsorship, and junior draws.

There are more events and opportunities for members coming up too.

On the pitch Paul Simpson’s depleted Blues got our season up and running with a hard-fought 1-0 win over Barrow. After a difficult last year and a false start at Gillingham it was nice to get that winning feeling back, especially with a last minute scare. “Unlucky lads...”

Dan Adu-Adjei was lively all game and his goal capitalising on a stumble from Theo Vassell, who must have found the only blemish on Dave Mitchell’s immaculate pitch, was more than deserved.

The party atmosphere at the end of the game even continued into the fan zones which could be heard across almost all of the media interviews on Saturday.

The improvements made in this area are superb and Brunton Park on a match day is no longer just a 90 minute visit. You can spend your whole day around the club with fantastic service and entertainment provided by the club, local businesses and fans. 

All of these improvements off the field are changing the club into what we all felt it could and should be. Hopefully Saturday’s victory is the start of the on-pitch improvements taking hold. I’m sure another ridiculously high number of Blues will be taking the trip to Milton Keynes on Saturday as we look to grab another three points.

Monday and Tuesday also showed the community spirit of the area as numerous volunteers helped with improvements to Brunton Park. The paintwork and refreshing looks incredible and we thank all of those who attended and gave up their time to support these Trust days.