CALL TO ARMS FROM OUR HARLOW RUGBY FAMILY

From the President of Harlow Rugby Club: Alan Price

HARLOW Rugby Club has never stepped away from a challenge, both on and off the field. However, today we find ourselves faced with the biggest challenge in our entire proud history dating back to our formation in 1955.

To the extended rugby community and perhaps to some of our membership; with our wonderful new facilities and grounds; we are thought of as an affluent club. This is most definitely not the case.

Since March last year the General Manager, Executive Committee and Volunteers have all worked extremely hard to keep the Club going as a viable operation to ensure that we can return to rugby and our normal social activities as soon as is safe and possible.

We are also immensely thankful to the vast majority of members and sponsors who have continued to pay their membership and sponsorship during this very trying period.

We have scrutinised the way we run our Club. We have cut costs to the bare minimum, furloughed all staff, applied for as many grants as possible, accessed loans and emptied what was already a very small pot but without income for almost a year we are having to use funds designated for future years to just stay afloat.

This however is not sustainable, and we need a strong injection of cash to help us reopen the Club and restart all rugby and social activities, which we hope will be very soon.

Without this injection our recovery plans will be severely hampered.We are therefore launching an appeal via a recovery fund to all sections of the Club. Details of the various fund-raising activities will be forthcoming in the following weeks.

All sections will be asked to get involved and help us raise the vitally necessary funds to continue to pay our on-going bills, fulfil our liabilities and provide the supplies and facilitate the necessary deep clean which will allow us to return to trading and playing.

One of the many fund-raising ideas, and the one in which I think Life Members and Vice Presidents, players, ex-players, associate members, social members, and indeed all those friends of HRUFC past and present, can make a significant difference, is to donate to our“Rams Wall”

We are asking all those who are able to, to donate a ‘brick’ for a minimum of £100. You can donate more, and we will of course claim gift aid as much as possible.

This ‘brick’ will be suitably inscribed and displayed on the ‘Rams Wall’. This wall will remain as part of the fabric of the clubhouse and be a lasting memento of how we all pulled together to save our great Club.

We do realise that £100 will be asking a lot from members who have had to endure this annus horribilis and we respect this.

Friends, groups or teams may want to join together to reduce the cost and donate a ‘brick’ together. It will also be possible to spread the cost over several months.

This will be the main thrust of our appeal with a target of £30,000. I do hope you will feel able to support the Club in these exceedingly difficult times and help make sure that future generations can be guaranteed the same privileges we have all enjoyed since our modest beginnings.

I will start the ball rolling with a donation of £500.

Many thanks for taking the time to read this far and let us all look forward to being at our great club very soon.

https://harlowrugby.club/buy-a-brick/?fbclid=IwAR23r1AWSL_9IzIbenZCQ0vGMGvFM_UcFvi60DmLIRKY61XhJ2Tb1ZFpoBI