'Thank you!' say Hitchin Town FC after supporters backed the club's crowdfunding appeal to the tune of £35k in just 12 days.

In fewer than two weeks the Canaries smashed their initial target of £25,000 through their Canary Crisis Fund Crowdfunder appeal.

Such has been the success of the appeal the club have revealed they have already now added another £10k to bring the running total to a staggering £35k - as they now look to raise £50k.

The club have been touched by the heart-warming stories that have also been created over the course of their crowdfunder campaign.

Hitchin Nub News backs the Canaries

Hitchin Nub News has consistently backed the club from the moment we exclusively revealed the club was fighting for its survival.

Whether it be the family of the much-missed Fred Andrews adding a whopping £5k to the club's coffers in a bid to aid the Top Field outfit's survival.

Or sharing the heartwarming story of young Teddy Donnelly who is set to become Hitchin's version of Captain Tom.

Or even covering the various milestones on the way to an incredible £35k these stories have reaffirmed the strength of the Hitchin Town community and the family spirit of the club.

But now, the Top Field outfit are also delighted to confirm that they have already received a further donation of £5,000 towards their new 'stretch' target from chief executive Andy Melvin, with an extra £5,000 to follow from chairman Terry Barratt.

These generous donations alongside the money raised to date put the total at more than £35,000 - as the homely club on Fishponds Ponds strive for their new target of £50k.

'The love for Hitchin Town is strong'

The club said: "We have continued to be amazed at the level of support shown by the community, the wider footballing community and of course by our supporters.

"While we knew that the love for Hitchin Town and for Top Field was strong, we had never imagined that we would meet this goal in such a short space of time.

"Due to everyone's generosity we have now been able to schedule in all of our list of critical safety repairs to ensure we can all continue to safely enjoy using Top Field. As many of you will know the list of jobs now funded as part of our £25,000 appeal are only the most urgent of issues that need to be addressed.

"We also have a further long list of important works to ensure that our supporters, players, staff and volunteers can all continue to enjoy using and be proud to welcome everyone to Top Field for the foreseeable future."

Canaries soar over Top Field challenges

The club launched their campaign after studying their preparations for the reopening of Top Field once it quickly became apparent that the Canaries faced huge challenges - with several dangerous areas of the ground not being able to make it through another winter.

With this came the prospect of relegation at the club's next ground grading, and the potential that they would not be able to safely use Top Field in the months ahead.

This would have further impacted the club's already critical financial situation. Quite simply the club would not have been able to meet such costs.

The club explained: "We decided we needed to be open and honest with everyone and ask if you they were able to help with the costs of these critical repairs.

"We appreciated that 2020 has not just been financially challenging for the club but also for all of our supporters and the Hitchin community.

"When we launched our six-week Crowdfunder campaign we had never envisaged we would have so quickly reached our £25,000 target - which reflected the scale of the immediate critical repairs required.

"As a result, we have still have another four weeks to run and have therefore decided to 'Stretch' our Crowdfunder target. We assure everyone that any further funds raised over and above our original target will be put to good use."

Further work required at Top Field

Top Field still requires further works - including a replacement of all gates within the ground, along with repairs to drainage and guttering behind the main stand.

There also needs to be perspex screens installed in the turnstiles along with a refurbishment and replacement of fence panels and terracing within the ground in preparation for ground grading.

New signage is still needed for the main stand along with a new shed for the ground staff and their equipment. There are also repairs planned to the current club shop, including fixing leaks to the roof.

There will also be a complete refurbishment of the old tea bar - when it is deemed structurally sound - for future use as a club office and shop.

The club added: "We continue to struggle to put into words how grateful we are for the huge support shown by everyone as part of this appeal so far.

"We hope everyone enjoys seeing the impact that this funding and any further money raised over the next four weeks will have on Top Field."

Still time to donate

For any one still looking to donate the club still has plenty of rewards available including their limited edition shirt which your name could feature on, copies of the Neil Fredrick Jensen's fantastic 'Tales of the Town' book and a chance to be in the draw to sponsor the main stand.

You can donate here.

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