Snow at the lakes

For the 2nd time in 2 weeks, we've had snow at Testwood Lakes.  This time the main lake has frozen and there is snow lying on the ice.  I got a few photos - here's a selection to show the beauty of this site.  A great place for the Aquativity Centre when it is ready.

Not much chance of swimming today!

All is well at the boat store

This will be the view from the building (without the container)

Plenty of wildlife, but much of it is out on the ice at the moment

PS We had our meeting on Monday - no big news to report, we just discussed some detailed business about building plans, finances, fundraising and status on the issues I've recently mentioned on this blog.

Next project team meeting

We're getting together tomorrow night for a pre-Christmas drink with our building contractor and a chat over everything that is going on - funding, building regs, utilities connections, Sailability and pontoon, equipment...

As usual, I'll post any news arising from this meeting here.

Kayaks

Back in the late summer, many of the Sea Scouts took part in a sponsored boating day on the lake.  They sailed, rowed and paddled all day and raised money for every lap they completed.  The aim was to raise enough to buy a kayak or 2, as a start to rebuilding our fleet to replace the old kayaks which have had their day.  It was a really successful day, and raised well over £600, so we were hopeful of getting 2 kayaks or at least most of the money towards them.

Then Martin, our Boating Manager, noticed a set of 6 second hand kayaks for sale on eBay.  They were of the type and size we need, and appeared to be relatively new and in good condition.  So, some tactical bidding and a trip to Oxford later, and we have 6 kayaks sitting in the boat shed behind the old hut, paid for by the Sea Scouts themselves.  It is always so much more satisfying to see equipment coming in as a direct result of the efforts put in by young members of the Group.

Well done and thank you to Martin and to the Sea Scouts, leaders and instructors who put the effort in to get these.

We are expecting 2 more kayaks soon as a donation from the local Rotary Club (just need to get the detailed quote from the supplier so they can be ordered).  So we are well on our way to getting the 20 kayaks we need for the Aquativity fleet, as well as looking forward to new sailing dinghies and rowing boats when we can get them.  We've still got some pretty good leads for securing some money for all this equipment; watch this space for news when these leads turn into cash!

Craft stall report

Phil, who was running his craft stall raising money for us yesterday, has sent in this report...

Hi All

Just a quick update on how the Sunnyfields thing went.

We raised £62.

This is not what we'd hoped for but that market is a shadow of it's former self.
There were maybe 6 other stalls and I doubt if more than 200 people came through all day.
So, although the total is disappointing the take up rate is actually very encouraging.
A lot of people who didn't buy took away an Aquativity flyer so it was also successful as an awareness raising exercise.
Sunnyfields are having a Xmas market on the 22nd and 23rd so we'll try again then and see if they get more footfall.
They've agreed to us having a free stall on the 23rd.

On the whole, I think that this is worth pursuing as both a fundraising and a marketing exercise.
We just need to find the right place to do it.

It's also a way of involving parents who produce craft work and might not have an outlet for their work - or be too shy to sell it directly.

The goal might be to have an Aquativity/4thNFN craft stall every 3 months at a successful market like Lyndhurst, the New Forest Show, Sunnyfields at Christmas and our own Donkey Derby.
There must be others.

Anyway, thanks to all who supported this one.
Not a great result in terms of cash in, but lots of positives to build on.

Phil

Thanks again to Phil, that's another £124 (2x £62) towards our total - if anyone has any good ideas for doing something similar (or totally different!) to raise some money, please email us or leave a comment.

The next fundraising idea

One of our Scout's parents has taken the initiative to use his talents to raise some money and awareness for the project.  This coming Saturday he is running a stall at the local farmers market to sell hand-made pots.  As well as donating his profits, he is also handing out flyers (see below) to let people know what we're doing.

Please go along to Sunnyfields Farm this Saturday 11th December to support him, and buy a pot or two.  Many thanks Phil, and good luck.

Bag packing results

Having made £872 at the end of October by packing bags for shoppers at the local Asda supermarket, we've had a re-run today.

With huge numbers of people in Asda today filling their cupboards after the last few days of snow and ice, and over 50 members of the Sea Scout Group on duty, we've had a great day.  Thank you very much to everyone who organised, led or took part in this great group effort, and thank you also to the management, staff and customers of Totton Asda for their generosity.

And the result of all this effort today...

£1,022

Well done everyone!

So the 2 bag packing sessions, including match funding, have raised a wonderful £3,788 - pretty good for 2 days' work.

Here's the updated chart of the money we've raised against our year's £20,000 target, to maximise the funds we can have doubled by our charitable benefactors.

All told, we're now at about £3,000 (or £6,000 when match funded) raised so far since the beginning of October, still aiming for the £5,000 interim target for the end of December - plenty of pre-Christmas buying and selling on eBay and through easyfundraising.org.uk will help us on the way - see my previous post for how your use of these sites can get us some more money.

Brief meeting report

...and it was a brief meeting, not least because it was on the lake's shore in a few inches of snow at about -3 Celsius so none of us wanted to hang around chatting for too long!

This was a meeting this afternoon between members of the project team and Southern Water who own Testwood Lakes.  We discussed:
Water supply - progress on that front and agreement in principle.  We have some more work to do on finalising that but we have a way forward.
Electrical supply - progress there too and again agreement in principle.  We have established that the existing supply at Testwood Lakes has sufficient capacity to let us take a feed from it.  We need to sort out details of exactly where we tap in and our cabling starts, and agree details like meter reading arrangements, but this is looking very positive.
Waste water - the concern there was to avoid the need for a huge underground sealed tank - very expensive to install and run, and very disruptive to the site to get it installed.  There was also the ongoing risk of leakage into the lake.  Our preferred solution was a grey water system in which the waste is filtered and cleaned and the clean water discharged into a nearby ditch.  We examined the proposed ditch which contains flowing water (despite the freezing conditions).  Following the ditch along, it is clear that it flows through a culvert at the main entrance to the site, then out to the River Blackwater downstream from the site.  On finding this to be the case, again we have agreement in principle to this approach, which is excellent news.
Pontoon - behind the scenes, Sailability and Southern Water have been working with a potential supplier and have a design and approach that should be acceptable to all and meets the needs well.  So this is also looking very positive for Sailability to be able to progress along with us.

So, all in all, a very worthwhile discussion with clear next actions on all fronts.

Meanwhile, there was some interesting birdlife out on the lake, which wasn't actually frozen today despite the cold - Canada Geese and Cormorants among others - this place really is a great backdrop for meetings!

Activities for the first week of December

A few things happening on the project this week to let you know about:

Fleet Management

3 of us (Chairman, Group Scout Leader and Boating Manager) met on Monday to discuss 2 closely related matters - funding for the fleet of boats we need, and plans for the practical operation of the centre once it is ready.  We discussed issues like

• what state is our current fleet in,
• what replacements/additions do we need,
• how long would we expect the equipment to last (and hence what depreciation and rolling replacement programme do we need to budget for),
• how much money is involved now and in the future,
• where might we look for potential funding sources,
• who do we expect to use the boats and what other resources might we need to offer,
• what restrictions or practical difficulties might there be around who can use the facilities and equipment,
• how much would we charge groups for using the facilities, equipment, instructors etc. that we offer,
• what level of administration might be involved and what people and tools will we need to support that,
• how closely do the boating needs of the Sea Scouts (at the Aquativity Centre and beyond) match the needs of the wider users of the Aquativity Centre, and what impact does any mismatch have on fleet management.

This meeting will lead to the refinement of the Sea Scouts Boating Strategy and the development of a related Aquativity Centre Operational and Equipment Strategy.  More work and discussions within the Group and with some potential partners required here, but we are making good progress on that front, including the possibility of some new funding for boats coming along - I'll let you know if and when that comes to fruition.

Utilities Connections

In my last post, I mentioned that we are trying to sort out connections for electricity and water, as well as making arrangements for waste water.  We have a meeting arranged with Southern Water about these issues, tomorrow (weather permitting, with a good blanket of snow on the ground today).  The other item on the agenda is arrangements for the pontoon needed to enable the establishment of a Sailability Club on site.

Fundraising

This Saturday 4th December, we now have a good number of people signed up to do bag packing at Asda throughout the day.  This is the 2nd such event in recent weeks, and we are hopeful of an excellent turnout from members of the Sea Scout group, to enable us to raise a significant amount of new funding (all of which will be worth double under the fund matching arrangement we currently have available to us).  So if you are reading this as a member of the group and you haven't arranged your bag packing session on Saturday yet, hopefully you know who to contact.  If you are unsure, send an email here and I'll get you in touch.  And if you are in Totton on Saturday, please call into Asda and we'll pack your bags for you in return for a donation (if you've got no bags to pack, that's fine, just give us a donation anyway!).

And on the subject of fundraising (details taken direct from our recent Group newsletter), here are some EASY, and dare I say it, PAINLESS ways to help. The great news is that everything we raise until next September will be MATCHED POUND-FOR-POUND...

Fundraising Idea 1 – Sell Things! - on eBay
We are now registered as a charity on eBay.
If you are an ebay seller you can donate between 10 - 100% of your final selling price to the group. Every time you list an item for charity, you’ll get a fee credit on your basic insertion and final value fees equal to the percentage you donate.
Once you’re ready to sell your item, go to the Sell hub and select ‘Advanced Sell’. As you’re filling out the details, look out for the charity box just below where you set your price. Select 4th New Forest North (Eling) Sea Scouts and the percentage (10%-100%) of your final selling price that you'd like to donate. The minimum donation is £1 per listing.
A week after your item sells, MissionFish (eBay's charity partner) will automatically collect the donation from you. You can also manage your donations through the 'My Donations' section of My eBay, under the My Account tab. Any fee credits will appear on your next invoice.

Fundraising Idea 2 – Buy Things! - on eBay
When you pay through eBay Checkout for an item you’ve won, you can give £1 to the sea scouts. Here's how to set 4th New Forest (Eling) Sea Scouts as your favourite charity:
1. Sign into My eBay and visit your Donation Account, under the Account Tab
2. Click on ‘My Favourite Charities’ under My eBay
3. Search for 4th New Forest (Eling) Sea Scouts and click ‘Save as a Favourite’
Remember to activate your GIFT AID declaration via your donation account to boost every £1 you donate by an extra 28p, at no cost to you.

Fundraising Idea 3 – Buy More Things! - via easyfundraising.org.uk
Many of us buy stuff online.
easyfundraising.org.uk gets the companies you buy from to donate to a good cause (and there are few better than the Sea Scouts!) so long as you go through their website first. It costs you nothing other than a few minutes to register and a couple of extra clicks each time you shop.
The money comes from someone else! For example, Amazon, The Book People, Boden and M&S will donate 2.5% of what you spend. Gap will donate 3.5% and Groupon 6%! eBay donate 15% (of the seller’s
fee). Supermarkets offer a once only flat rate donation when you begin online grocery shopping with them. Many utilities and telecoms companies do the same when you switch to them (offering donations of up to £40!).
There is almost nothing that cannot be bought through easyfundraising, so please register now:
1. Go to easyfundraising.org.uk
2. Click on “Register as a user”
3. Select the charity/organisation you wish to donate to (we are listed as 4th New Forest North Sea Scouts)
4. Fill in your details and then click on “Register”
You then just need to remember to log in to easyfundraising.org.uk first before you do any more shopping online!

So let me particularly highlight the last of these ideas - you may have noticed that Christmas is coming, so lots of you will be buying presents online at the moment - instead of going straight to Amazon or your other favourite site, follow the instructions above (you only need do this the first time you use this service), then go to easyfundraising.org.uk and click through to Amazon or your other favourite site.  It costs you nothing but a few extra seconds and clicks, and not only will we get the 2.5% or similar of everything you spend, we'll also be able to fund-match to get twice as much!

AND through December, if you've registered as a user, easyfundraising.org.uk has an advent calendar competition with lots of great prizes every day (just visit their site each day and click on the day's window), and lots of offers with their retailers.  So it is in your interest to use the site, as well as helping us and our project.

Oh, and did I mention the bag packing on Saturday? 

I'm looking forward to a great turnout and a great day's takings - it will make a big difference to our funding position.