“The Scarf My Father Wore is a labour of love – and that’s clear – but good things come at a cost”
Our first paid subscriber Keith Mills explains why you should join him, as we aim to get even bigger and better
Sunday 10 December 2023
NEXT HOME GAME: Aldershot – Wednesday 13 December, 7.45pm
NEXT AWAY GAME: Barrow – Tuesday 26 December, 3pm
Dear County fans, Stopfordians, and anyone else joining us today, a very warm welcome to your Sunday edition of The Scarf My Father Wore.
I don’t even know where to begin with Morecambe yesterday. I’m still trying to get warm. With the weather and the trains causing havoc, hopefully everyone made it back to Stockport in one piece. We’ll pick the bones out of a silly December trip to the seaside over the next couple of days, although I have included some photos today for you.
The main purpose of Sunday’s edition is to ask you for a favour. Please take the time to read the following article – and hopefully click the button once you have!
Today’s edition is sponsored by Eleven Accounts Services. A big thank you to Louise, who works with lots of different clients, from freelancers who don't need the complete package, to limited companies who want to hand everything across. Feel free to give Louise a call on 0161 501 0011 or email office@elevenaccounts.com to see how she can help your business.
Finally, I’m currently walking every street in Stockport to raise money for mental health charity Mentell. If you’d like to make a donation to help me reach my target, please click here.
Total distance so far: 46.68 miles
Total steps so far: 83,302
Total raised so far: £1,027
Total completed streets so far: 24 (Click here for the full list, which includes reports and photos from every day of the walk.)
Further information on the walk can be found by clicking here.
Des Junior
17p a day. That’s how much it costs to become a paid subscriber on The Scarf My Father Wore. If I was playing football, I wouldn’t be worth anywhere near that much, but I’m hoping you’ll value me at that price when it comes to writing about it.
I’m not actually going to start this article by thanking Keith (I will in a moment, don’t worry), but the various businesses you see on the website and in your inbox each morning. Their generous support has enabled me to run the website on a part-time basis. Please keep supporting them whenever you can. If ever you find yourself on Google or Yell.com looking for a particular product or service, have a quick look at our directory first to see if we can help you. Click here for the full list of businesses we partner with.
On average, I spend around four hours a day on the website at the moment. My dream is to increase that to eight, and do this full-time. That’s where Keith comes in – and fingers crossed you lot as well!
I’m extremely grateful to Keith (thanks mate!) for coming on board as our first ever paid subscriber. I asked him why he’d decided to sign up. “Basically, to put my money where my mouth is,” he said. “I enjoy reading every edition that you produce and very simply it seemed reasonable to give you what support I can. I particularly enjoy the balance between the opinions of County fans and opposition supporters reacting to things from different perspectives. I know The Scarf My Father Wore is a labour of love – and that’s clear – but good things come at a cost. If you take from something, you should also give back.
“And anyway, the title perfectly reflects our family. I’m the grandfather in the song and I watch from the Cheadle End with my son and two grandsons!”
I actually worked at County with my dad between 2002 and 2007, producing the official website and editing the programme. I loved every single second of it. Mornings would consist of writing a few articles and updating the website, before walking to Castle Street for a sandwich from Greggs (a chip butty from The Friary on a Friday), followed by an afternoon planning and compiling everything for the next match programme.
Writing about County all day filled me with pleasure, and it’s something I’d love to return to. After Covid, millions of people (over 75% according to this article in The Guardian) have spent a long time re-evaluating their lives before making significant decisions when it comes to jobs and relationships and where to live. Personally speaking, I’ve really struggled with depression, anxiety and panic attacks for a number of years now (I’ve probably got pneumonia as well after yesterday’s trip to Morecambe…) but producing The Scarf My Father Wore for the last 12 months, even on a part-time basis, has helped lift my spirits and slowly get my life back on track. I’ve no desire to become a millionaire; my post-Covid plan is simply to finally move back to Stockport (I’m still living in Chester at the moment) and hopefully make a living from this common passion/obsession we all share.
Take a look at the following five articles. I’ve chosen a variety of different pieces I’ve written over the past year, which all required a considerable amount of time editing and researching and speaking to people etc. Writing in-depth features on County is something I’d like to spend more time doing, but I need the support of paid subscribers to be able to do this.
On a serious note, The Scarf My Father Wore can be used as a vehicle to achieve great things. It’s already helped me raise over £1,000 for Stockport-based mental health charity Mentell, and over the last few days Les Braithwaite has managed to raise over £3,000 towards funeral costs for Lisa with contributions from our subscribers. If any County fan or organisation ever needs to spread the word, I can send an email to over 800 supporters at the click of a button.
It’s not just about the serious stuff. I enjoy entertaining people and making them laugh (hopefully) and this might make me sound like the biggest nerd on the planet, but I genuinely get a rush of excitement when I’m about to click the publish button on a new article. I’m a traditionalist and even a technophobe in many ways, but I love the instant connection this Substack platform provides. Within seconds of clicking send, I know there’s County fans reading our coverage on the train to work, or in bed with a coffee, or sat on their terrace in France or Spain. I get a very warm fuzzy feeling inside from that.
The vast majority of people reading this will have bought a fanzine from me at some point over the years, or bought me a pint in return for a copy. I’m sure you’d do the same today. Instead, if you enjoy the daily email you receive, please consider becoming a paid subscriber. The support I’ve received from advertisers has enabled me to reach the stage where I can publish at least one article every single day. With your help, I can produce even more content, and really take the website to the next level.
So, how much does all this cost? Well for just £750 a month… Just kidding. It’s £5 a month to become a paid subscriber, or £45 for the whole year. Even for the existing content – a new edition every day of the week – that’s a pretty good price, but your support will help me to produce even more coverage.
I can promise you that your support won’t go unnoticed or unappreciated. I’ll always be thinking of new ways to reward subscribers, but for now, this is what you’d get:
A free, signed copy of a book on County I’m currently writing (once it’s finished obviously) which will include your name printed in the credits, plus free tickets to the book launch featuring a number of ex-players
Priority booking for live County events, including heavily discounted tickets
Free County merchandise from time to time, plus significant discounts on other items
The Scarf My Father Wore birthday and Christmas cards posted out to you
As a fanbase we’re lucky to have a plethora of fantastic content to enjoy on a regular basis. We’ve got superb blogs and podcasts and YouTube channels and radio shows and websites featuring an abundance of shirts and statistics. I think my niche is detailed and insightful long-form journalism on County which is so important to have whether we’re at the top of the league or the bottom. As things currently stand, this is the most exciting chapter in the club’s history and if you’re willing to support me, I can cover this period extensively with even more articles, photos and interviews.
Go on, click that button… 😉
Switch your business finance records over to the cloud
County fans use cloud computing on a daily basis. They post photos of pies and selfies with Paddy Madden to Facebook. They pay for coach travel via online banking. They stream TV and film from apps like iPlayer and Netflix on long journeys home from Crawley and Colchester. If you’re a County fan who runs a business, why aren’t you using the cloud for your accounts as well?
Louise from Eleven Accounts Services always advises her clients to switch their business finance records over to the cloud, as it allows for flexibility, it provides you with financial information in real time, and it also tightens security.
Visit elevenaccounts.com for further details.
A few pics from Lancaster (normal weather), and then on to Morecambe (f*****g horrific)
Photo of the day
Deva Stadium, Chester
A Tamworth defender at Chester yesterday in the National League North. We’ve come a long way.
Today in SK
🍽 Food and drink
Pop down to The Petersgate Tap (SK1) for a delicious festive pint of Vocation.
Two Sunday Roasts for £20 at The Red Bull (SK1). 12pm - 6pm.
Located next to the lovely canal walk in Romiley, The Spread Eagle (SK6) is the perfect spot to rest those weary legs over a refreshing drink and a delicious carvery. 12pm - 8pm.
Simply Sunday at TRUNK (SK7). Sunday brunch including face painting and colouring competitions. Call 0161 222 9260 to book a table, and mention “The Scarf My Father Wore” to receive a 15% discount off the normal tapas menu.
Sunday dinner at The Flying Coach (SK7). Chicken or steak, served with honey roasted parsnips, mash, roast potatoes, veg, Yorkshires and red wine gravy. Served from 5pm.
🎶 Free jukebox
The Nelson Tavern (SK1). 3pm - 6pm.
The Scarf My Father Wore works closely with venues on a daily basis to bring you the most comprehensive guide to all of the best offers and events taking place across the whole SK region. Click on the links below for full details of everything taking place in your area over the next few weeks.
SK1 / SK2 / SK3 / SK4 / SK5 / SK6 / SK7 / SK8 / SK9 / SK10 / SK11 / SK12 / SK13 / SK14 / SK15 / SK16 / SK17 / SK22 / SK23
DJ Des
Feels appropriate after yesterday in Morecambe. Never seen rain like it.
Would you like DJ Des to play a song for your favourite County player, or a friend or family member? Leave a comment or email thescarfmyfatherwore@substack.com with your requests/shoutouts!
We’ve got everything from Art & Gifts to Yoga
We might not have found a psychic from Poynton or a dominatrix from Davenport just yet, but we’ve pretty much got you covered for all other products and services you might need across Cheshire and Greater Manchester. Just take a look at this little lot…
Art & Gifts - Bookkeeping - Carpets & Flooring - Child Health - Cleaning - Coach Hire - Coatings - Dog Walking - Electrician - Financial Services - Fire Protection - Garage Doors - Gardening - Grout Refresh & Recolour - IT Services - Kitchen Appliances - Locksmith - Minibus Hire - Painter & Decorator - Party & Event Services - Plasterer - Publishing - Recruitment - Security Equipment - Solar Panels - Sports Coaching - Timber Supplies - Tutoring - Web Design - Women’s Fitness - Workwear - Yoga
On a serious note, our sponsors help us to keep The Scarf My Father Wore completely free of charge for everyone (rather than paying for a subscription, like most Substack websites) so if you do enjoy our daily offerings, please support them whenever you can. Make a mental note to yourself that whenever you need a cleaner, or a plumber, or a solicitor (or if you are looking for a dominatrix, send me a private message as I know a cracking lady in Heaton Moor…), check out our own directory before you head over to Google or Yell.com. Loads of the businesses we work with are County fans, and we’ve often got great offers for our readers as well.
Click here to have a look at all the businesses in our directory.
It was warm and cosy in my kitchen listening on the radio. Chapeau to all those who braved it yesterday👍💙🎅 #UTH