 EVERTON Football Club has joined forces with the grandson of the club's most famous chairman - to try to secure the future of the most historically significant collection of football artefacts ever assembled. A charitable trust was launched at Goodison Park today - by Blues' chief executive Keith Wyness, former director Lord Grantchester and true blue PR guru Tony Tighe - with the aim of securing the unique David France Collection. The Blues have pledged £250,000, while Lord Grantchester has donated £100,000 towards the total cost of £800,000.
 The remarkable collection has been described by Graham Budd of Sotheby's as having "no match anywhere in the football world. It's a unique record of Everton's history - possibly a history unparalleled by any other club." Grant MacDougall of Christies added: "It is the most comprehensive collection of memorabilia I've had the good fortune to catalogue. The collection consists of unique medals, contracts, international caps and jerseys, rare programmes, official club ledgers, cigarette cards, Victorian season tickets and even tender documents for the construction of the original Anfield Stadium. The collection has been conservatively valued at £1.2m. But owner Dr David France is keen for his life's work to go on public display on Merseyside. Established by trustees, Lord Grantchester, grandson of former Everton chairman Sir John Moores; Keith Wyness, chief executive of Everton FC and another True Blue Evertonian, Tony Tighe, the Everton Collection Charitable Trust aims to secure the collection for future generations.
 The Trust is launching an appeal to generate the funds required to acquire the collection, including several fundraising initiatives that will be run over the summer and the start of the 2005/2006 football season. Lord Grantchester, who first brokered the deal with David France, commented: "This really is a once in a lifetime opportunity to secure a unique and fundamental collection of memorabilia, which will educate and preserve the history of Everton so that it is accessible for generations to come. "If we are successful in our appeal The Everton Collection will be owned by Evertonians and the people who contribute to this worthwhile charity." It is intended that The Everton Collection will be housed in the Liverpool Record Office where it will be available for public research and that working in partnership with the record office, National Museums Liverpool will regularly select items from the collection to feature in their rolling programme of exhibitions and displays.
 Liverpool Record Office aims to collect archives and local studies materials which are of relevance to and reflect the history of the whole community, to store, preserve and conserve these for present and future generations, and to ensure the widest possible awareness and use of the archives. National Museums Liverpool is England's only national collection based outside London. By the terms of this special partnership The Everton Collection would be on loan to these major public institutions in order to unlock additional resources and to ensure greater public access to the Collection. Lord Grantchester added: "Our partnership with the Liverpool Record Office and National Museums Liverpool is the perfect solution to our desire to preserve the collection and allow Evertonians, football fans and the people of Merseyside and beyond to be educated on Everton FC's history and relevance to the community over the last 127 years!" * To donate to the Everton Collection Appeal call 0871 789 6089. Star exhibits of the David France collection >>> | 
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