Royal Wootton Bassett
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In October , members of our senior squad kicked off a series of events to help raise funds towards construction . The teammates , led by Bassett ’ s experienced Centre , Tim Gallimore , challenged themselves to ride 1407km on a static training Wattbike .
The challenge in numbers :
• 407 kilometers cycled
• 247,129 pedal strokes
• 32,500 total calories burnt
The team ’ s challenge raised a huge £ 4,257 in sponsorship and has encouraged further events throughout the club in 2018 to raise funds towards the gym construction .”
Premiership A-League
“ In December we will be hosting a Premiership A-League fixture between Gloucester United and Exeter Braves .
This came about when one of our members - Keith Humphries , an active volunteer at Gloucester Rugby - proposed this idea to host the fixture at our club . Gloucester recognised the large number of supporters that travel regularly from the Swindon area , and expressed a drive this season to take their game on the road to Royal Wootton Bassett . We hope the event will further cement the relationship between our two clubs .
Gloucester are coming to us for the evening lock stock and barrel , allowing us to keep all proceeds - very generous and potentially a tremendous occasion for our club . The match is expected to be a well-attended festive occasion held under the floodlights a week before Christmas .
Both Jonny May ( ex Gloucester ) and Gareth Evans were Royal Wootton Bassett youth players and there will be many more of our young players attending the fixture who will have an eye on wearing the Cherry and White jersey at some stage .”
Get Involved
“ We are an inclusive club with a tremendous army of keen volunteers . For anyone wishing to get involved in grassroots sport , with a place for anyone aged 5 to 105 , then Royal Wootton Bassett RFC is the place to be . Come along and meet us !”
Commercial
“ We have launched a separate professional website – www . meetatbassett . co . uk - to encourage private bookings of our facilities . We are lucky to have a very impressive Clubhouse and the website highlights the range of facilities available to hire for parties , weddings and celebrations or as a venue for business meetings , conferences or workshops .
We have employed a Business Manager who is doing very well in attracting regular bookings by local businesses , the Town Council and local community groups to keep the facilities busy during the week . The rugby club is also on track to become an incorporated entity .”
Challenges
“ Like many grassroots clubs , we see the biggest challenges as recruiting and retaining players in a significantly changing demographic . There is always a challenge during the transition of youth players to senior rugby . There is no University in Swindon or surrounding area and the club often loses young players when they move away for further education .
We will continue to focus on attracting investment for capital projects at the club and attracting sponsors to invest in community rugby .”
Ambitions
“ Our key goals are to become established as a strong contender in all leagues . We hope to continue to develop our club ’ s reputation as an inclusive and fun place to be - either as a RWBRFC player , or supporter or volunteer .
The club has plans in place to become financially stable , and we believe we can achieve this by creating strong relationships with individuals and organisations who can help finance capital projects or sponsor our annual business .”
Tel : 01793 853 998 www . crapperandsons . co . uk Tel : 01793 854 847 www . mrcrapperspottingshed . co . uk
12 Issue 76