Over two dozen fans, with the aid of Millars Specialist Decorators, turned out on Sunday to help freshen up the Bobby Cox Stand with a coating of dark blue. The volunteers devoted several hours of hard graft to give the stand a visible presence. The work was first in a series of ground improvements to the stadium in order to improve the aesthetics of Dens Park.
DFCSS Volunteers' Coordinator, Kenny Valentine, expressed his gratitude for the efforts of the volunteers. “I think today has been fantastic especially with it being Mothers’ Day, and it’s not just local folk who’ve turned out, we’ve had fans from further afield come to help out,” he said. “I’d like to give a massive thank you to Millars Specialist Decorators for their help, they even missed the game on Saturday to set up for today. I’m really pleased at the efforts of everybody, not just the fans but from local businesses too.”
Kenny added, “It’s been quite enjoyable. It’s not just about the painting, the fans are getting together and meeting other fans and speaking about the club, it’s been a good atmosphere.”
Derek Millar of Millars Specialist Decorators, said that despite being a team of volunteers put together on the day, he was very impressed by the standard of work. “It’s really good and it’s of quite a high standard to be honest. Everyone can see that they’ve really made a difference and it’s good to see everybody here doing their bit to help.”
One of the volunteers, John Mohan, was more than happy to do his bit for the club. “I just wanted to help out,” he said. “I think it’s great that people want to help their club. We don’t have a big millionaire in the background so it’s up to the fans to do their bit.”
Life-long Dundee follower Allan Ireland, believes that the continuous efforts from fans is what the club will depend on. “This is the way it has to be. I’ve been following Dundee for 60 years, and this fan spirit never existed back then.”
Graham Adam, who travelled with his wife from Perth to lend a hand also believed that the fans should have a more ‘hands-on’ approach to benefit the club. “I think it’s a start of how things will go forward. If fans are putting effort in and the players see the fans are doing their bit, then it creates a sense of togetherness.”
“There's boys on the committee here to help out as well, it just goes to show that they are not just about the glory bits in the board room,” he added.
Peter Glen answered the call from the local press and said he was glad to have come along. “I saw a bit in the Courier asking for people to help, so here I am and I’m glad I came along.
It’s been a brilliant effort to have everyone sticking in, this could be the start of something.”
DFCSS Chairman Scott Glenday commended the efforts of all those who came to lend a hand. “Everybody has worked so hard and we'd like to say a big thank you to Millars for their guidance."
Keep your eyes on the website and local press for more ways that you can help do your bit to help YOUR club in the future.