REQUESTS FOR HELP

As we are sure you will all appreciate, getting to where we are has not been easy. Returning to a new normal is going to be a long and difficult process for us all, and we ask for your patience and support as we go through the next few months. As well as setting up new operational procedures, we have had to manage a huge number of financial hurdles, and this is expected to continue for many months.

During the closed period, even though we have had no income, costs have continued to accrue as we have looked after your sports club. Working with Wave, the Charity has reduced costs to the minimum, but it has still cost us more than £100 a day to support your club (and on top of this the individual sports clubs have also spent significant sums on maintaining their pitches and facilities). At the same, we have not been able to carry out all the general maintenance that we would have liked to (particularly looking after the grounds around the site), and we expect running costs to actually increase as we re-open and introduce new procedures for everyone’s safety.

We are therefore seeking help from you, our members, in a number of ways:

1. We will be working with the affiliated sports clubs to request volunteers to help us carry out a bit of tidying up of the site and around our playing pitches. More details will follow, but we would all appreciate your help with this – the more volunteers we get the easier the job will be.
2. Going forward we expect it to be a massive financial challenge to keep everything going as you all gradually return to your sport in a safe, enjoyable environment. If you feel able to help now or in future by making donations to the EGSC Charity that would be a huge help and gratefully received. As you probably know the Charity (and the sports clubs affiliated to it) are all run entirely by volunteers, giving up their own time to ensure that you can play your sports.
   But time does not pay the bills, and we, like many others, have collectively lost a significant amount of money during this closed period. All donations received will be used for the benefit of your sports club. If you feel able to help by making a donation you can do so now through this link https://uk.virginmoneygiving.com/donation-web/charity?charityId=1000677, or at any time via the link on the footer our website. As a charity, we can claim gift aid on your donations making your money go even further towards helping your club rebuild for the future.
   (Donations can be focussed on a chosen sport if you wish, or just made to the Charity for the Trustees to use for the overall benefit of the club. Please just add a comment if you wish your donation to be applied to a particular sport.)

Finally, so that we can keep in touch with you as we move forward we would be grateful if you could sign up for future Charity updates using this link: SUBSCRIBE.
Due to GDPR, when you sign up, you will receive a verification email to carry out the final step of opting in (please check your junk if you do not receive).

Thank you all for your continued patience through this difficult time, and we look forward to seeing you all back at the club in the coming weeks and months.

Best wishes, and stay safe!!

The Trustees of EGSC