KIRSTYANDREWS
Whisky business
How does your club raise funds to boost its coffers ? Kirsty Andrews reports from Bristol No . 3 Diving Club ’ s hugely popular annual event
Shhhh ! Keep your voices down out there ! Some of us are feeling a little sensitive today . This is because this is the morning after the night before and the night before was the Bristol No . 3 Diving Club annual whisky tasting evening ; the 11th of its kind , I am told ( I ’ ve been to most of them but the memories blend into one for some reason ).
This momentous feature on the Bristol diving social calendar is a key event for the club , a glorious fundraiser that tops up the coffers for the year ahead and makes a big dent in all the financial demands of the pool , boat , kit servicing and other diving club necessities . It ’ s also a lot of fun !
I estimate that since its inception , approximately 5,000 ‘ wee drams ’ have been consumed over these events in the name of club bonding , merriment and incidental fundraising . Countless raffle tickets have been sold and dashed the hopes of all but a lucky few . And what would a whisky night be without the optional additional purchase of haggis , neaps and tatties , especially if they are unceremoniously splashed into your bowl at speed by a mildly inebriated SCUBA correspondent ? These guys know how to upsell .
Looking around the room , not all attendees are even divers . In fact , we ’ re in the minority : whisky-loving friends , family , colleagues and casual acquaintances can be cajoled along for the tasting , and then enticed into signing on for a try dive … or ideally , a committee position for next year . I ’ m not sure how effective my UK diving sales technique was as I waffled on late at night to an unknown couple queuing for a taxi at the end of the evening , but I gave it a good go . Maybe I ’ ll see them in the pool next week .
I must emphasise , a successful fundraiser does not have to leave you with a tender head in the morning . The key is maximum benefit to the club for minimum outlay or effort - although I should say that Gary , the mastermind behind the No . 3 whisky phenomenon , does put rather a lot of effort in , assisted by a merry band of preparers , pourers , ticket sellers and aforementioned haggis crew . Not all events have to raise money , but if they do so without compromising the pleasure of participants , all the better . Social secretary is in my view an important and often undervalued role on the committee . This job was my first foray onto a club committee , many moons ago , and I like to think I pulled it off with panache .
Thinking about it , I can reminisce about quite a surprising array of fundraisers over the years ; some more memorable and / or successful than others … perhaps this is a situation where we can use the collective BSAC hive mind to pool our resources . What has been the best idea , event or initiative your club ’ s put into action to raise funds ? I ’ m not talking supreme formfilling leading to effortless government grants pouring in ( although that ’ s brilliant , well done you ) - let ’ s get creative . I ’ ll report back on my favourites , from my list and yours , in a later column . �
Pictured at the tasting are ( left to right ) Bristolians Mark Hall , Dan Wheeler , Fred Nunn and friends
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