THERE is never a good time to pay bills and annual subscriptions, but some times are worse than others.

For instance, asking people to renew their subscriptions to a football club supporters' society at the height of summer is just about the worst possible timing.

Just now, for most people, football is one of the subjects farthest from their minds. Summer holidays loom largest in most peoples' leisure concerns at this time.

Yet here we are, with Bury FC Supporters' Society (Forever Bury) facing up to the unpopular task of reminding all members that next year's subscriptions are now due.

For a few weeks now, all members have had renewal notices -- £10 normal subscriptions, £5 junior and senior citizens, £25 family membership. The likelihood is that the notice has been stuck behind a clock, or an ornament or whatever, to be dealt with "when we get around to it".

There is a natural and understandable inertia about taking positive action at this time, which the Society's officials are having to overcome.

If it had not been for a rare event, a prolonged power cut one Sunday in March 2002. Forever Bury would have had a logical financial year, staring around April 1, like everyone else.

No doubt many readers will remember how sports personalities, civic leaders and ordinary supporters assembled outside the Castle Leisure Centre in Bury, where the official launch of the Society was due to take place. They were unable to get inside to perform that formality because there was no lighting.

It was rank bad luck. There was no alternative but to postpone the launch until a later date, in June, as it happened.

It was one of a run of misfortunes which blighted the start of the Society's existence and which 15 months later has left us with an apparently daft time to be asking people to renew their subscriptions.

However, despite this being only one of a series of obstacles which hindered the Society in its fledgling days, the organisation has thrived and is going from strength to strength.

The latest development, now taking place as we go to press, is that the Society will have its own cabin on the Gigg Lane forecourt from which it can organise events and run the administration of what is developing into a vibrant, pro-active organisation.

So, please get out the form and the envelope, write out the cheque, and send it off to "Forever Bury", to show that a bit of bad luck cannot get us down.