Windfall

[Mallard]

I see the club has received a massive grant ( in excess of 70k) for ground improvement at The Walks . Also that the B&G Trust had pledged 4K towards this effort as well.  I was on the understanding that this 4K had been handed over weeks ago and not just a pledge. Why the delay ?

Fantastic news and all credit to the bodies who  did the leg work to obtain this grant, which I assume was the steering committee formed this year.

Does this mean the upshot is the massive uplift in gate receipts can be spent on squad strengthening  ?

[Blue_and_Gold]

Very nice.

I guess this is the big announcement planned for September? Or can we expect something else soon?

Mallard, You are correct. The 4K from the Trust has not just been pledged. It was handed over a few weeks ago.

These kind of things take ages to sort out and be granted, so I doubt it was down to the steering committee. I would have thought it was all started long before they were formed. The application was more likely started just after the lease for Walks was re negotiated and could well have been one of  the reasons why an extended lease was required.   

 

[KES80]

It was mentioned by WLM in an earlier thread that the FA offers a Stadia Improvement Grant....is this where the grant has come from ?

[TonyM]

I see the club has received a massive grant ( in excess of 70k) for ground improvement at The Walks

Where did you see this?  Have you got the link?  Would echo the praise for the person(s) who managed to secure this for the club

Does this mean the upshot is the massive uplift in gate receipts can be spent on squad strengthening  ?

Still don't think we are running at breakeven, plus I would imagine (without seeing the document) that there would need to be more than £4K contribution from the club to get that level of grant so improvements will still cost, albeit less than they could have been.  Hopefully this will allow some other infrastructure projects to be considered and then, and only then, should we be worried about squad strengthening.  IC is right that we are still finding our feet at this level, even after such a good start and there are lots of other things that need to be in place before we consider 'pushing on' on the field - houses built on sand and all that.

Trust has gone a bit quiet, shame that after running a successful (on all fronts) quiz night they couldn't maintain that momentum and have scheduled another event (quiz or something else) for the GDF.  There will always be more work that could be done to the Walks, either required by FA grading requirements or just as a general uplift to facilities so it should be an ongoing fundraising activity imo and allows Trust members and non-Trust members alike to make a contribution towards something specific for the benefit of the club for years to come.  For those who want to contribute to more immediate aims (squad strengthening, pitch etc) then there are more suitable routes via the Friends (12th man, pitch squares etc)

[Mallard]

Tony, Mark Hearle stated in his programme address that they wanted 750/800 every week.  We are punching way above that. Stephen Cleeve is on record as saying he will
Only find it for one more season.  So that to me all points to a surplus with League gates averaging around 1100 that’s an extra 4.5k per home game.  If just a quarter of that was made available that would bring in a couple of half tidy recruits.

As for IC saying we are underdogs in every game.  We have him
And other senior players stating that the dressing room is full of players who are capable of playing at a higher level.  So which one do you want to believe ?  We are not 3rd in the table because we are an ordinary side.  We have quality.  Listen and read to some of the clubs managers who have played us.  Full of praise. Consider us to be a top side.

Saturday will be a big mark in the Ground.  We get drubbed 4 or 5 then maybe we can’t compete with big spenders like York.  Narrow defeat or a draw and for me it’s very much game on.  Then the support has to come in to add to the squad. It might only need one piece of real quality.

[Mark A Hearle]

The club will be making an announcement on this development over the weekend.

A point of clarification though is that the grant was awarded by the football stadia improvement fund and not the national lottery as stated here. Maybe B & G you saw the words national league and misread?!! No worries,  Its great news for the club.

[Blue_and_Gold]

Thanks Mark.   

[Mallard]

Mark can I just ask have the monies  been received by the Club from the Trust and not just a pledge as stated ?  Also is this Stephen big news item we referred to back in Aug ? Or is that one still to come.

Thought the news on this grant would have released by the Club rather through a local freebie.

Like you say though great news. If a little bit low key in its release

Also as a side issue I’d like to thank Mark Hearle for taking the time to read the posts on here and reply when he feels it’s appropriate.

[tazzywazz]

For those saying the club has not announced this please refer to page 3 of the YLP. Even Sir Henry Bellingham knows!!

[Mark A Hearle]

Mallard. I cannot comment on the pledge from the trust as I don't  know is the answer to that one.
This isn't the major announcement that Stephen has talked about in the past.
The club had planned to make an announcement when all the loose ends had been tied up - there are still a few bits that need completing.  We didn't give the story to the YLP is all I will say - I was rung for a few quotes on Wednesday afternoon to add to what they already had......
It's not a problem coming here and clearing a few things up when I can. We're all in this together as we want what's best for the club. at the end of the day.

[Mallard]

Sorry Tazz I never saw it on the Twitter feed. Plenty of other stuff for sure, but not that.

Disappointing though that the EDP and Lynn News didn’t deem the news big enough to run with and it was left to the free one to break the news in print.

[Mallard]

Thanks Mark, our posts crossed. 

[admin]

Mark can I just ask have the monies  been received by the Club from the Trust and not just a pledge as stated ?

As reported on the Forum on the 22 August, on the home page at the time and under Trust News:
"The Trust has forwarded a cheque for £4,052 to Stadium Solutions who will manufacture the turnstile units."

[Stan]

Tony, Mark Hearle stated in his programme address that they wanted 750/800 every week.  We are punching way above that. Stephen Cleeve is on record as saying he will
Only find it for one more season.  So that to me all points to a surplus with League gates averaging around 1100 that’s an extra 4.5k per home game.  If just a quarter of that was made available that would bring in a couple of half tidy recruits.

As for IC saying we are underdogs in every game.  We have him
And other senior players stating that the dressing room is full of players who are capable of playing at a higher level.  So which one do you want to believe ?  We are not 3rd in the table because we are an ordinary side.  We have quality.  Listen and read to some of the clubs managers who have played us.  Full of praise. Consider us to be a top side.

Saturday will be a big mark in the Ground.  We get drubbed 4 or 5 then maybe we can’t compete with big spenders like York.  Narrow defeat or a draw and for me it’s very much game on.  Then the support has to come in to add to the squad. It might only need one piece of real quality.

That's inspiring Mallard. Nice one!

[dillydilly]

Good news indeed, and thanks to the organiser(s).  We’ll all have ideas for ground improvements, so here’s my two penneth......Better terrace at Tennyson Avenue end, and cover for one of the ends.  Perhaps catering or toilets at corner-ends of Walks terrace.  Then, of course, the turnstiles.  At last we have various opportunities for real progress as a club and a team, and I sincerely hope IC, SC, the groundsman, ( big thank you there), and the admin team, volunteers, and the Trust maintain the interest and ambition that have brought us this far....