Vote for us NOW (please)

****Voting closes at midday Monday 24th October so please don't delay!****

 

We only have a few more days to get as many votes as possible to be in with a chance of winning one of 3 grants of £6000. Please vote now and please forward this message on to as many people as possible. It is also very easy to share a link to our voting page on Facebook  to encourage all your friends to vote too.  Voting is open to anyone 16 yrs or over and separate email addresses are required for each person voting.

 

It has taken over 14 long years to raise enough money just  to start building the centre which will not only be our new sea scout HQ but ultimately be a community resource for youth groups and those with disabilities to use for boating, kayaking,canoeing and rowing. This will also provide a base in our local area  for RYA Sailability to use.  Although the shell of the building is almost complete we still have a long way to go to raise enough funds to complete the project.

 

 

How to vote for 4th New Forest Eling Sea Scouts Aquativity Project:-

 

1.       Click on this link http://communityforce.natwest.com/

 

2.       Fill in your details to register.

3.       You will then get an automated email from NatWest asking you to confirm your registration.  Click on link.

4.       Return to this email and click on this link to vote for Sea Scouts  http://communityforce.natwest.com/project/5925

(If you don't get the automated  email please contact helpdesk@natwestcommunityforce.co.uk or freephone 0800 2100 246 )

Remember to click on the Facebook icon to share with your friends.

Thank you for your support and to all those who have voted for us so far.

Windows

The windows and doors have arrived this week, and as of yesterday evening, the windows had all been installed, and 1 door in.  Ridge tiles have completed on the roof too, and cladding as far as possible, ready for completion now the windows are in.

Here's a few snaps I took yesterday.

Vote for Aquativity to win us £6000

Despite the great success of the 20/20 fundraising challenge, we still need more money and more support.  One of the latest initiatives we are taking part in is the Nat West Community Force.

Everyone is invited to register their email address on the Community Force website, then vote for up to 3 projects across the country.  The 3 projects in each area with the most votes get a financial contribution of up to £6000.

Our Community Force area is Southampton, in which there are 46 projects so we only need to beat 43 others!  The great news is that as of this evening we have 81 votes, which is far more than most.  We are definitely in the top 10 in the area and very close behind a number of those, so we still have a very good chance of getting into the top 3, IF we get sufficient votes in the next week.

Voting ends on 23rd October, so not long to go - please, please vote for us now.

When you are registered and logged in, search for us by the project name Aquativity.  You can also find us directly as project 5925.  Accept the terms and conditions (nothing apparently onerous) and vote for us, then vote for other worthwhile projects elsewhere in the country (not here, 'cos voting for another project near us means 1 more vote we have to beat).

20/20 Match Funding - The Result

Back in September 2010, we were set a challenge: raise £20,000 by the end of September 2011, and every £1 will be matched, so the project will benefit from a total of £40,000 as a result of our efforts.

So here we are at the end of the allotted time.  How did we do?


Well,

• We've run lots of activities, including Donkey Derby, Barn Dance, Totton Carnival, litter picking at Netley Marsh Steam Rally, Smartie Tube Challenge, Bag Packing, Sponsored Boating and Grand Draw.
• We've sold draw tickets all over the place, including many of the above, and Testwood Lakes Great Outdoors Open Day, Solent Sea Scouts Kayaking & Pulling Regatta, friends, family, neighbours, work colleagues...
• We've also spoken to many individuals and organisations about the project and its benefits, and attracted a number of donations of all sizes from businesses, local councillors and others.
• We've certainly been very busy all year, especially the fundraising team, Donkey Derby committee, building project committee, Sea Scouts leaders and exec, and many others.  Lots of fun but lots of hard work along the way.

The culmination was last Friday 30th September at the Grand Draw evening.  During the day there had been lots of conversations about potential donations, selling off surplus drinks stocks from previous events, selling some more draw tickets etc.  When we arrived at The Salmon Leap, we knew we were likely to make £19,000, which was at least £500 more than we had predicted a couple of weeks ago.  We got confirmation that all the drinks stocks had been sold.  Then various people arrived with stubs and money for tickets they had sold through the week and especially that day.  Then we sold a few more tickets to the pub customers around us.  And then a phone call from one of the local councillors we had contacted during the day - he came through for us and made a sufficiently large donation to the Aquativity Project that the target was achieved!

We did it.  £20,000 raised in a year!

And a total of £40,000 into the project as a result.

What can I say other than well done!

And as for the Grand Draw...  Approximately 3,000 tickets sold.  Not all of the prize winners have been informed yet, so I won't spoil any surprises by saying here and now who has won, but we had a successful draw with about 20 prizes all going to worthy winners.  Winning tickets were held by group members, Donkey Derby attendees, work colleagues, friends, regatta participants...  One lucky person has won £500, and another a week's holiday in France.  And everyone who participated has the satisfaction of knowing that the money they contributed will go straight into the Aquativity project, which is forging ahead.

At the building site, the roof is complete all but the last few ridge tiles, the cladding has started, the windows and doors have been specified, agreed and ordered, and plans for the electrical supply are progressing much better now.  Many of you will have been watching some progress reports and photos on the Sea Scouts website.  Here's an extra photo of the cladding that has now started.

Sponsored Boating

Despite a very (very, very) wet morning on Sunday, lots of Sea Scouts turned out for our sponsored boating.  The weather improved through the day, and we also had a few visitors to our stand at the Testwood Lakes Great Outdoors Open Day.  Thanks very much to everyone who organised, helped out or turned up to take part - we sold a few more raffle tickets, and made some money on the refreshments, before we even start counting the money raised by the boating.  We also spoke to quite a few people about potentially joining or volunteering to help us.  So a good day out all round.

We also had a Group Exec meeting on Monday including a brief review of building progress and finances.  We've had some more money coming in from a range of sources, so we are now at a total of £16,200, even before the weekend's activities, towards our target of £20,000.

Back from hols

Welcome back to the blog - the project has been very busy through August since my last posting here.

Picture by F Wright

2 big areas of news to mention today:

• The construction project is really progressing well.  You may have seen updates on the Sea Scouts website over recent weeks - the frame is up, the roof is watertight and we're starting to put the roofing tiles on next week.  Then cladding on the walls, and windows and doors, then....  A few of us had an official site visit yesterday morning to take a look around both floors - it is looking a fantastic space and we can't wait to get the building into use.
• The fundraising is also progressing well.  Netley Marsh Steam Rally was held in July and each year they make donations from their takings to local good causes.  This year they have been fantastic to our project and granted £3,000 to us.  The hard work that many members of the Sea Scouts group put in to help with the litter picking each year has helped keep the group and project in their focus, so thanks to everyone involved in that.

The 20/20 fundraising total is now over £15,000 with a month to go.  Lots going on in September, with sponsored boating this Sunday, combined with the Wildlife Trust's open day (looking forward to a fantastic busy day at the lakes).  Then on 17th September, we host the Solent Sea Scouts Pulling and Kayaking Regatta - another chance for draw ticket and refreshment selling.  Then the grand draw will be drawn on the evening of 30th September - we're starting to make plans for that and looking to sell as many tickets as possible before then.

It is going to be a busy month on both the construction and fundraising fronts.

The framework starts to go up

Wow, what a week!  The wooden plinth went in over Monday and Tuesday, scaffolding over Tuesday and Wednesday, and today the frame for the ground floor shot up.  A big crane arrived this morning, with a lorry load of wooden frame pieces, and within hours a building started to form.

Lots of details, pictures and videos on the Sea Scouts website thanks to Frank and Tim : http://www.elingseascouts.org.uk/news/news_aquativity

Here's a few snapshots of the outcome at the end of today.  With it being holiday time over August, work is continuing on site, but this blog won't be reflecting the progress for a few weeks.  In the meantime, any important news will be on the Sea Scouts website - see the link above.

The building appears

All of a sudden, the boat store looks huge