SONSTRUST has this week launched a new drive to increase its membership.

The independent fans’ organisation, which is a minority shareholder in Dumbarton FC, hopes to swell their numbers and achieve a record membership of 400.

As things stand the trust has more than 320 members.

However, they aim to grow even larger in order to be in a stronger bargaining position with the club’s owners over plans for a new stadium at Young’s farm, the last greenfield site between Dumbarton and Renton.

Simon Barrow, the trust’s negotiator on the stadium plans, explained: "We are determined that Sons fans will have a major say in the future of the club, whether the new stadium development goes ahead or not.

"In addition to securing in membership the largest proportion of regular attenders in Scottish football, we are also actively looking at forming a Community Interest Company which would enable us to take a large stakeholding in future and help secure the assets of the club moving forward."

The proposal is due to be discussed at the trust’s board meeting this Saturday morning.

Following an 80-strong supporters’ meeting a fortnight ago with representatives of the club’s owners, Brabco, the Sonstrust has collected more than 120 responses, covering 32 pages from fans to the new stadium proposals – twice as many as those gathered at the official pre-planning consultation, they say.

"At present many fans remain to be convinced about the plans, but there is overwhelming support for the engagement of the trust in the process moving forward," said Barrow.

"I have met with Brabco’s development leader, Dumbarton FC director Ian Wilson, following the supporters meeting, and we are very pleased that he is going to be meeting with the Sonstrust board and its working party in stadium issues in January.

"Our aim is to make sure that the key questions about this development are addressed positively, and that whatever happens is demonstrably capable of securing the future of the future of the club, the interests of the fans and benefit to the community and its environment."

In its latest recruitment drive, the trust will be handing out leaflets to supporters at the home game against Falkirk on Saturday, signing up recruiters and putting on a display of the work of the trust.

The trust is a registered provident society and provides services free of charge to the club, including running its website and matchday programme.

To find out more about the membership go to http://www.sonstrust.net/