Oxspring Parish

Printer-friendly versionSend to friend

Progress report November 2009
Steering Committee.
This group was brought together in December 2008 following October’s news that Michael Clynch the architect had gained planning permission for a building with four team changing rooms, separate officials’ changing facilities, toilets, kitchen, meeting room, storage (internal and external), and a large community hall, on the edge of the car park at the playing field off Sheffield Road.
(See the other side for an impression of the building)
Two were proposed by the Parish Council – Councillors Freda Shaw and Ian Stanley, and two from Oxspring United Football Club – Graham Clamp and John Crowther.
At their fist meeting Freda Shaw was elected Chair and Chris Booth was co-opted to act as an administrator until the project was up and running.
Funding.
Both the Football Club and Parish Council wanted this group to be independent from them with their own constitution, and so made some start-up funds available.
This was added to by local community groups, with grants from charitable foundations identified by South Yorkshire Funding Advice Bureau, and BMBC Community Support Fund.
So the group now have administrative equipment and materials, with funds to pay legal expenses and professional fees for construction advice. 
 
Charitable Status.
In September our solicitor submitted for registration with the Charity Commission our Trust Deeds drawn up over the past few months in consultation with Voluntary Action Barnsley and advice from South Yorkshire Grassroots.
This document and registration sets out how the Charity will be run and checked at intervals that it is operating accordingly.
The process can take several months with further information and consultations possibly required.
With charitable status the First Trustees (the four Steering Committee members) can recruit further Trustees to help with the next phase. (See below)
 
Site Lease.
With charity status it is possible to apply for funds to move to the detailed design phase of the building to create a specification and schedule of works for the building.
We can then sign a lease for the site of the building from the Parish Council and also be eligible to seek grant funding from major providers like the Coalfields Regeneration Trust, Sport England, Big Lottery Fund, FA and Awards for All.
We expect the total costs to be over £1million.
 

Can you help?
We are looking to co-opt further Trustees from our community. We need people with specific skills – within construction management, within fundraising through grants, or with a sense of community spirit. This might be just for a particular period of time, or a phase of the project, or longer term, as the Trustees will be the new centre’s managers.
If you think you might be able and willing to help and would like to discuss the matter further, please contact me as below -

 
Advisory and Support Officer C. N. Booth
27 Brookdale Heights Locke Road DODWORTH Barnsley S75 3TU
01226 770559 -  07783684004 – chris_booth@talk21.com