Read on to find out how Rutherglen LTC are getting on with their
plans to save Burnside's Tennis Courts......
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Dear <<First Name>>,
Welcome to our very first #ReturnToSplendour Newsletter!
Firstly, a huge THANK YOU for taking the time to register your support for the project by signing-up
at our project website. Winning the hearts and minds of the community as we work to save Burnside’s
Tennis Courts is hugely important to us and will be critical to the success of the project. We’re therefore
extremely grateful for your early support!
The feedback we’ve received to date has been entirely positive and extremely encouraging. Here’s a few
snippets:
“…really impressed with how much RLTC
engages with the community – and how busy
the courts always are.”
“I think the proposals are a great idea and it
would be great to get as many people from
the community involved.”
“As a parent of * Children who were members
of the club I’m delighted to hear of your
plans.”
"This is great news! It’s been so sad to see
the courts in such decline the last few
years.”
“I play at *****, but would join a Burnside
Club if the courts were all weather and
floodlit – to feel part of community.”
“…this is such good news! The neighbours I
have spoken to are all buzzing with the
good news and it will be lovely to have
some heart to the community up the hill
from the Station again.”
It’s clear that the community is right behind our plans and this gives us even more motivation to make
the project a success.
We’ve also received a number of individual donations which has been extremely humbling. Any
donations, big or small, will help make this dream a reality.
We plan to send out Newsletters periodically, hopefully at least one per month, to update you on what
we’ve been up to and the progress we’re making.
We’ve been extremely busy over the last few months progressing the project on a number of fronts:
Spreading the Word!
Winning the hearts and minds of the local community by working to save the courts in a way that
benefits everyone, whilst respecting and remembering the proud history of Burnside Tennis Club [BTC],
is key to our success. With this in mind, we’ve launched a local community and social media campaign
called #ReturnToSplendour to raise the profile of this project, involving;
Banners around the perimeter of the Courts/Bowling Club promoting our efforts to save the courts
and directing people to our project website.
Delivering this flyer to all local households.
A letter to all local businesses asking them to help us promote the project and make a
contribution either through a donation or club sponsorship opportunities.
An e-mail to all former members of BTC encouraging them to get involved to save their former
club.
An article in the Rutherglen Reformer.
A short talk at the last Burnside Community Council Meeting.
Lobbying local Politicians, Councillors and Community Groups to make them aware of our plans
and the benefits they will provide to the local community, and to encourage them to help spread
the word.
Presenting an update at our recent AGM. These plans continue to receive overwhelming support
from our own membership.
Hopefully we’re getting our message across?!
Please let us know if you have any ideas as to how we can further raise the profile of this project or
improve the effectiveness of our communications and clarity of message. We’d love to hear from you!
Refurbishment Works
We’ve been really busy scoping out the work required to bring the facility back to its former glory. This
involves resurfacing the courts to the same surface and standard as our four existing courts at Viewpark
Drive, upgrading the floodlights, erecting a small clubhouse and securing the site via new fencing. We
are currently obtaining costs for this work that will feed into our Business Plan and Funding Applications.
Business Plan
We’ve been working hard to pull together a robust, long-term Business Plan for Rutherglen LTC, to
underpin our Funding Applications, which:
Demonstrates that we can make the necessary provisions into a sinking fund for our existing
courts at Viewpark Drive. This is our No.1 priority. We were extremely fortunate to obtain grants to
resurface these courts 4 years ago. We now have a responsibility to look after these courts and
put aside the money required to resurface these at the end of their life in 10-12 years.
Demonstrates that we can make the annual payments to the Bowling Club to lease the Burnside
courts for the agreed 20 year period.
Demonstrates that we can make the necessary provisions into a sinking fund for the new courts.
Whilst we’re eligible for funding to resurface these courts given that we are taking over this facility,
we will only be successful in any application if we can self-finance the maintenance and renewal
of these courts going forwards.
Calculates the capital RLTC are able to commit to the project from existing club funds without
jeopardising the stability of the club.
Calculates the shortfall in capital which must be bridged by grants and fundraising.
Funding Application
We have identified a number of potential routes to bridge the funding gap and are pulling together an
application for each of these in parallel with the development of the Business Plan.
Fundraising
We’ve announced a couple of fundraising activities:
Charlie’s back at the club for the 5th year to sell his
fantastic Christmas Trees. Each year Charlie makes
a very generous donation to the Club for the use of
our facilities throughout December to sell his trees.
This year, the Committee have agreed that this
donation will be put towards #ReturnToSplendour.
So get a lovely tree from Charlie and put some
money towards the project! And don’t forget to tell
all your family and friends….
Have I got News for You! Our Annual Quiz Night
is the BIG highlight of our social calendar! The
Countdown is on to our 2016 Quiz Night which
promises to be the biggest and best yet! All profits
raised will go towards #ReturnToSplendour. Gather
your family and friends to form a team and put your
QI to the test to prove whether you’re a
Mastermind or Egghead. Win, Lose or Draw - it
will be a Total Wipeout of a night...Would I Lie to
You?
Missives
We’re currently working with the Bowling Club to draft the detailed missives to implement the Heads of
Terms agreed by both parties. This will represent the legal document that implements the >20 year lease
and will provide the necessary protection for both parties.
We're delighted to report that, so far, all indications are extremely positive! We remain
very optimistic that we can make this project a reality!
We know what you’re thinking…..
“What an amazing job they’ve done and how hard they’ve worked in progressing this project to this
position. It would be absolutely fantastic for the whole community if we can make it happen! What can I
do to help them make this dream come true?”
….well here goes:
Spread the word. We want as many people as
possible to show support to the project by signingup at our website by clicking here. The more people
that show support, the more attractive we are to
funders, sponsors etc. So please forward this e-mail
onto anyone who you think would be interested and
encourage them to sign-up.
Make a donation to the project on a no risk basis by
clicking here. If you’ve already made a donation
then a massive THANK YOU!
Let us know of any businesses that you think might
be interested in making a donation to, or
sponsoring, the project. There are some nice
rewards for successful referrals!
Get your Christmas Tree from Charlie at Rutherglen
LTC and tell your family and friends to do the same!
Gather together your family and friends and register
your team for our Quiz Night at Rutherglen Town
Hall on Saturday 27th February 2016 by emailing
[email protected].
We hope you’ve found this helpful? Thanks for reading!
We’ll keep you posted with our progress in future newsletters.
In the meantime, please do not hesitate to get in touch by via the contact details below.
Copyright © 2015 Rutherglen Lawn Tennis Club, All rights reserved.
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