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The Immediate Effects
The Club house was deemed unusable on Health & Safety grounds and
initial estimates were that the Club House would be out of use for a
minimum of 3 months. Financially as well as the cost of damage all income
streams for the Club other than car parking were shut off. On the playing
side no rugby was possible at Keswick which hit senior rugby but more
critically 80% of our rugby is Junior Rugby involving over 40% of local
youngsters in the 8 to 18 age category. As one of the key function rooms
in town numerous function, weddings etc. were disrupted.
Insurance
The Club was pretty well insured via AXA, the policy covering buildings,
contents and business interruption. R G Robins were appointed as loss
adjusters and have been helpful and supportive throughout. At this
time the estimated costs are £160k for the building £25k
from loss of earnings and £30k of contents. There is a shortfall
on the contents insurance due to the extent of damage and the treatment
of kitchen equipment as contents rather than fixtures. There are also
some items on the pitch area which are not covered including damage
to training lights and loss of some equipment stored near the pitches.
Short Term Playing Arrangements
Initially we arranged to play all senior games at Penrith Rugby Club
and all Junior games were switched to away venues. This had a knock
on in cost terms and considerable work on behalf of club members and
in particular the many parents that provided taxi services for the
youngsters.
We have now been given the go ahead to begin the process of decontamination
of the changing rooms, showers and toilets which will be undertaken by
volunteers using specialist equipment and material. We therefore plan
to be able to return to using the Club for playing matches on February
19th. We will not be able to offer food or bar services but have made
arrangements with the nearby Keswick Labour Club to use their facilities
for the all important social side of rugby.
Short Term Cash Flow
Whilst our business interruption insurance covers the loss of income
from bar and functions and will allow us to retain our part time steward
the insurance does not cover rugby related costs. Most critical on
this side is the employment of Alan Gray as our full time Youth Development
Officer who for 5 years has done a superb job in providing additional
sports coaching into all the local schools as well as running the youth
side of the Club.
RFU Immediate Help
We were extremely grateful for the very rapid response from the RFU not
only were they able to help at the practical level but simply having
their support and concern was a great boost to morale. The Rugby Football
Foundation has made an immediate grant of £5k plus offered £10k
loan non repayable for 2 years. In addition the RFU will cover the
salary cost of Alan Gray until the start of May and are providing other
help such as PR and advice on architects etc. The RFU have also offered
to organise a funders meeting.
Other Short Term Grants
We are making grant applications to Cumbria County Council Neighbourhood
Forum (grants up to £500) and Cumbria Community Foundation Flood
Fund (grants up to £5k). These grants are being sought to help
cover the short fall in contents cover to allow the purchase of replacement
training equipment and also to help cover the cost of the Development
Officer beyond May.
The Long Term Plan
Having reviewed the situation the Club is of the view that ideally it
does not wish to spend over £200k on what is already an old building
and one that could flood again. We have therefore being moving very
rapidly to see if it would be possible to raise the additional funds
needed to build a new Club House which would be based on a design of
a flood neutral ground floor level incorporating changing rooms etc.
and a second story that would provide the Club House and other facilities.
Funding
This will be the key, the insurers have indicated that they would allow
money to be applied to a new build rather than refurbishment. We
have explored many avenues including joint building with other sports
clubs, community groups and organisation such as the neighbouring
Camping & Caravanning
site. From our examinations the many possible avenues were narrowed
down and the following 2 ideas were examined in detail but are currently
discounted :-
Housing - whilst we have spare land that could provide plots for about 10 houses
and we
have had exploratory conversations with Impact Housing Association this has
been
discounted for the following reasons :-
a) Housing and Rugby can cause problems of conflict due to match day traffic
and
noise from functions etc.
b) The area is prone to flooding and whilst elevated designs could reduce this
it
raises the build cost above an affordable level
c) the new Planning regulations mean that houses would be designated for Local
Occupancy only and this would have the effect of creating a maximum plot price
of
between £15-25k and would not therefore raise sufficient funds.
Sewage Works - United Utilities are under notification from the Environment
Agency to
improve the sewage treatment system in Keswick. The Club was approached with
a view
to locating a major screening plant on the grounds. However because of the
overall cost of
the project (estimated at up to £5 million) the scheme has been referred
to government
inspectors for decision. This we understand will not be before September 2005
and
therefore would not meet the tight timetable we have to operate to. If this
scheme could be
advanced then it would be likely to produce between £150-200,000 of income
for the
Club. We are in contact with Tony Cunningham MP and the relevant minister Elliott
Morley to see if this scheme could be brought forward.
This left the following concepts which are NOW being actively pursued
:-
1. RFU Foundation - a loan of up to £100k at zero interest
is available to the Club and we
have sufficient surplus income to meet the repayments.
2. Government Market Town Initiative, Keswick has just accessed £1
million of
funding from the North West Development Agency for a range of projects. Included
in the
project list are 2 schemes that could be located within a new build at the
Rugby Club a)
Early Years Centre a £200k project to provide facilities and support
for young families b)
Specialist Holidays a £50k project to provide a venue and support for
specialist holidays
such as photography, crafts etc. We are working closely with the Keswick Area
Partnership project officer to pursue this potential joint build.
3. Office Space - we believe that we can provide space for about 10,000
sq. feet of new
modern offices. Quality office space is lacking in Keswick and we believe this
scheme
could generate up to £250k for the Club and could also provide a source
of ongoing
income. We are currently speaking with a number of potential developers / investors.
Potential Funding Mix therefore would be :-
|
Applied Insurance Funds |
£140,000 |
| RFU Foundation |
£100,000 |
|
Market Town (net of build cost) |
£150,000 |
| Office Development |
£250,000 |
| Total |
£640,000 |
This will probably not meet the full cost of a new club house but would
leave a funding gap that could be realistically met from fund raising
and grant applications.
Please note Sports Lottery Funding is NOT available due to funding constraints
within the North West Region.
Planning Issues
We have had discussion with the Lake District National Park Authority
that have been constructive and helpful and can be summarised as follows
:-
" The Rugby Club have had an initial meeting with the LDNPA Planning
Dept. From these
discussion the following has been indicated to us :-
1. The relevant local plan policy will be Policy E5
2. Given Policy E5 they believe that subject to scale and design the
concept of a
single building that would provide facilities for the Club, and Early Years
Centre
and Office Space could be supported by the officers
3. The above having been said the application would be subject to the normal
planning process and therefore should objections be forth coming either from
other agencies such as the Environment Agency or local residents these could
have an effect on any decision.
4. The design of any building should incorporate a pitched roof of local slate
and rendered finish
5. The LDNPA will try and process the application within the statutory period
but can not give any guarantees regarding this."
Architects & Project Managers
The RFU introduced us the Club Design Ltd of Rochdale. (www.clubdesign.net).
The Club has met with them and believe they offer a very unique blend
of architectural skills specific to sports clubs, the ability to provide
overall project management, undertake grant applications, undertake
negotiations with regard to land sales and joint partnerships. More
critically they understand the running of sports clubs such as long
term funding issues and perhaps most critical of dealing with that
very strange animal a sport club committee. It is therefore our intention
to appoint Club Design as the lead Architect and overall Project Managers
for this scheme. They will as part of the work also seek to retain
the services of an architect with detailed knowledge of the requirements
of the Lake District National Park.
Freehold Issues
Whilst some of the land at the Rugby Club is owned by the Club other
parts including the pitches are owned by Cumbria County Council and
leased to the Club. To be able to undertake our plans the Club will
need to purchase some of the land. We have had initial conversation
with officers at the County and have the support of our local County
Councillor and we hope that we will not only be able to purchase the
necessary land for the Club House but will have the opportunity to
purchase all the land including the pitch area.
As part of the arrangement the Club is also exploring with the County
their requirement to find a site for a recycling facility which could
provide additional funding.
The Next Steps
1. Prepare design drawings and submit planning application
2. Establish costings and develop business plan
3. Develop Investor plan for Offices
4. Negotiations with County Council on Freehold
5. Negotiations with Keswick Area Partnership regarding Early Years Centre
6. Arrange Funders meetings with RFU
7. Application to Rugby Foundation
8. Fund Raising
9. Develop interim Club plan during development phase
As many know Keswick has a well deserved reputation for self help and
the Rugby Club is no exception. From the early 50's when the players
built the original club house in their spare time we have been a forward
thinking and proactive club determined to make the community we live
in better. The decision some 5 years ago to employ a full time Youth
Development Officer funded solely by the Club (largely thanks to the
Keswick Beer Festival which the Club runs) was ground breaking and we
are probably still are the only Level 8 club in the country to do this.
Our partnership work with the schools has made us the RFU national exemplar
of partnership working and has led to significant rugby success as evidenced
by the Keswick School results in the Daily Mail Cup this year and culminating
in the selection of Roger Miller last month for the full England Under
16 team.
Our Objective
The theme for our 125th Season was "a
celebration of the past and the laying of foundations for the future".
From the disaster of the floods Keswick Rugby Club have been given a
golden opportunity to achieve something that was not even dreamed of
- a new Club House and potential revenue source that will take us forward
for the next 125 years and that will enhance the role of the Club as
a pivotal part of the local community.
We will make every effort to seize this opportunity not just for rugby
but for the community that is Keswick.
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