With the completion date looming, the start of a new year has given Keswick Rugby Club time to reflect and also to look ahead to the opening of the new clubhouse at the end of the first quarter of 2025. Although many milestones have been reached, including the groundworks, steel frame, blockwork, windows and doors and the solar panels the build committee are under no illusion about the mountain they have to climb during the next three months. The building’s exterior is very close to its finished aesthetic and now the progress will start to slow to the casual observer, watching with interest through the security fencing, and our local suppliers and trades will work hard during the second fix and the decorating stage to help realise the dream that was first mooted in the old clubhouse during the early nineties.

A huge challenge facing any community build is the finances and Keswick Rugby Club have been fortunate in that regard. Andy Wallace, club treasurer said: “As we enter 2025, the project is on solid financial footing, with total spending to date just over £1.4 million. Starting with combined reserves of £750K from the Club and Keswick Community Rugby Trust, the club has also received invaluable support through various grants. These include a £300K Community Ownership Fund grant, £125K from the RFU, £50K from Cumberland Council’s UK Shared Prosperity Fund, £30K from Keswick Lions, £15K from Cumbria Community Foundation’s UK Shared Prosperity Fund, £8K from Lakes to Sea, £5K from Keswick Town Council, £2.5K from the Hadfield Trust, £1K from Skipton Building Society, £500 from Keswick Bridge, and £350 from Lakes and Dales Co-operative. The club also has several additional grant applications currently in progress.

Fundraising efforts have been relentless, with the club raising over £320K through the Keswick Community Rugby Trust. This impressive figure has been achieved through numerous events, activities, and the generosity of members and the local community. Notably, this includes a matched £100K donation and an anonymous £50K contribution.

In addition to grants and fundraising, the project has been financed through private loans totalling £600K, which will be repaid over the next 20 years, along with a 15-year, interest-free loan of £100K provided by the RFU. To ensure the project’s continued success, the club is now focused on raising an additional £58K in the coming months”.

Tim Green, Club President added “From our initial discussions our fundraising effort has been incredible and targets reached, including our critical amount to actually commit to the construction phase and demolish our existing facility at the end of last season. The last £58,000, however, is vitally important as it will enable us to finish the clubhouse to the standard we want, furnish it and decorate it so that we can hand it over to our members complete and fit for purpose. To this end we are recognising all our donors who gift £1,000 or £5,000 with a paving slab or hearth stone respectively with their name on it. The last date for these is Thursday 16th January as the bespoke slates will be manufactured at Honister slate mine and be laid by our contractors”. To donate to the Big Build please use the website https://keswickrugbytrust.org/. Everyone who donates before the paving slab closing date in January will be contacted by email by Tim and will be invited for a private ‘hard hat show round’ of the club during February.

The rugby club’s general committee are now focussing their efforts on the business plan to be implemented post opening. The in-house caterers ‘The Keswick Kitchen’ have now been appointed to look after match day meals, bar meals and function catering and the club bar will be open more hours to serve visitors, locals and of course the club members. In the coming months the new web-site will be completed, detailing the function spaces and hire rates and everything will be put in place for the clubhouse to fulfil its ambitions as a community hub.

Tim explained further “As a club we’re incredibly lucky to have such talented and knowledgeable volunteers willing to commit so much of their free time. Broadly speaking they fit into two groups; the fundraising committee and the Big Build construction committee. Without the tireless work and dedication by these two groups the project would have been a non-starter and I really want to express my thanks to them at this stage of the build”. The club are keen to keep the local community abreast of developments during the latter stages of the construction and would urge anyone who wants further information or to get involved to get in touch via the contact details on the website.