In December, the team working on the club renovation project submitted an application to WREN, the local landfill fund asking for a £50,000 grant in support of our plans.  The idea was to use these funds for a first phase of improvements which would have included renewing the electrics and water heating, and providing a brand new ladies’ change behind court 1.

 

Unfortunately we heard in March that our application had not been successful.  On the positive side, the quality score for our application was nearly high enough to make the cut for awards in this round, and we have been given useful feedback on how to improve our chances if we were to reapply.

 

Furthermore, to get into a position to submit this application much has already been achieved:

 

  • The club has successfully registered as a Community Amateur Sports Club, which also qualifies the club for gift aid on donations.
  • A full set of architects drawings have been completed
  • We have planning permission for external changes to the building
  • We have building control approval
  • Structural calculations for the changes to the building are done
  • A full cost plan has been produced
  • We have opened the club to non-members through our partnership with Cambridge Sports and Arts which is making squash available to a wider public
  • We have surveyed members and local people to demonstrate support for the plans

 

We basically have a ‘shovel-ready’ design to update the club with improved layout, new changing rooms, social area and glass-back show court.  The club extends its gratitude to Neil Stutchbury and especially Colin Walker for the time they have devoted to getting us into this position.

 

We now need to re-assess our strategy.

 

The plan had been to break the work down into three phases costing around £50k each, each of which would yield member benefits, but to keep the applications for funding separate so that they did not rely on getting all at the same time.

 

Phase 1 – renew electrics, renew hot water, remove staircase behind Court 1, bring office into the club and create new changing room in this location.

Phase 2 – move the main stairs towards the end of the corridor, incorporate corridor into larger second changing room, create open area behind court 2, glass back court to court 2.

Phase 3 – new doors and windows at entrance, kitchenette and social area behind the glass back court, improvements to outside of building.

 

We were targeting WREN for phase 1, then Sport England for Phase 2, possibly with a fund raiser from club members for Phase 3.

 

Among our options are the following:

 

  1. Try again with WREN in December for £50k, aiming for Summer 2020 for a phase 1, with a stronger application based on the feedback we have received.
  2. Put it all together into one ‘block-buster’ application to both WREN and Sport England, and pledges from members and ex-members, aim to do the whole thing in one go in Summer 2020
  3. Consider a ‘refurb-lite’ approach where we reduce the building works – remove the stairs behind Court 1 and make this the social area with glass-back to court 1.  Refurbish the corridors and changing rooms but leave them where they are.

 

We will be looking for guidance from the club at the AGM on Thursday 20th June 7:30 about how to proceed.