All
Please read the below from our Treasurer and if you can help please get in touch.
Dave
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All,
 
Those of you at the President’s lunch I hope were pleasantly surprised at Mike Keane’s announcement that we had received grant funding of £100,000 towards the £300,000 cost of building four new RFU compliant en suite changing rooms adjacent to the clubhouse. En suite changing rooms are particularly important for the development of the Club since it allows men’s women’s, boys’, and girls’ sports to be played at the Club at the same time. This will increase the amount of people who can play sports at the Club at any one time (for those who have not been to the Club for a while we have two brand new floodlit netball courts and are looking to develop netball at the Club), from next season onwards therefore benefitting future generations of Wimbledon RFC members. Whichever way you look at it is a great opportunity to make our great Club better.

Since the lunch I have spoken to the RFU who have agreed to expedite our application to the Rugby Football Foundation for an interest free loan of around £70,000 which is good news, but they have advised that we should progress on the basis that RFU grant monies will not be available to support our endeavours, which is bad news.

In addition to this, the club has access to funds and has received pledges equating to around £75,000, bringing the total to £245,000, so £55,000 short, but we are almost 80% of the way to getting new changing rooms built this summer and for many of you this will be the first you’ve heard of it! The problem is that the £100,000 of grants that we have worked so hard to get are subject to achieving the full £300,000 fund raise, or they will expire and fall away, and we will have to go through the process all over again with no certainty of being re-awarded.

We are so close that collectively we should find a way to make this happen, and there are two ways you, our past, present and parents of future players can help: make a donation or if your (or someone you know’s) trade is construction related, provide your services at a big discount or for free, both are equally valuable.

Mentally I have set us the following targets for fundraising and I encourage you all to see whether your circumstances will allow you to participate at some level:

100 donations of £50

50 donations of £100

20 donations of £250

10 donations of £500

10 donations of £1,000

5 larger donations

Of course, if you wish to donate a different amount you are welcome to. You are also welcome to set up a standing order and pay by instalments.

AND REMEMBER THE CLUB IS A REGISTERED COMMUNITY AMATEUR SPORTS CLUB SO ALL DONATIONS BENEFIT FROM GIFT AID, SO IF YOU COMPLETE A GIFT AID DECLARATION THE CLUB GETS 25% ON TOP OF YOUR DONATION AND YOU COULD REDUCE YOUR OWN TAX BILL.

If you are as eager to make this happen as I am and it is within your means to make a donation, please do.

If you are in the construction industry (including structural engineering) and are prepared to provide them to the Club on very favourable terms please get in contact with me

Please can I encourage you to pass this message on to others who you think would be interested.

Yours humbly

Steve Platts

Treasurer, Stroller and Mini’s Coach
Wimbledon RFC
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