Who are we?
Swavesey Squash Club (formerly known as Fenland Squash Club) is a not-for-profit community squash club just north of Cambridge. We are a thriving and active squash club with around 200 members and lots of fun activities and events going on. We pride ourselves on being welcoming to all and promoting an inclusive environment, with something for everyone, of every age and standard.
We are a Community Amateur Sports Club, which is similar to a charity in that we are able to claim GiftAid, and run on a not-for-profit basis. The club is run by a committee of volunteers, who do their best to make the club as nice as possible for everyone who uses it, which includes carrying out improvements to the infrastructure whenever possible.
The club has come on a long way. Those who remember how the club was just before the pandemic can see the remarkable change that has been. We are so grateful to everyone who has supported us in the journey so far and look forward to many more happy times at the club in years to come.
Why is the club crowdfunding?
We have pursued a huge programme of renovations since 2020, with almost every aspect of the club having been transformed over this time.
The wall plaster on courts 2 & 3 is now showing significant signs of wear and tear: there is major cracking, pitting, and crumbling. This plaster is the original plaster and dates from the 1970s/80s, so is around half a century old (considering the pounding it gets, quite remarkable!). After consultation, a court specialist advised that repairs are no longer possible and the courts now need complete replastering.
Unfortunately, this is very expensive (much more than routine maintenance) at around £6000 per court. Combined with the major investments made in the club over the past four years, and hugely increased utility costs draining club resources, it has not been possible to set aside sufficient funds for the replastering within the advised timescale.
Consequently, the urgency has required that the club has had to apply for additional funding.
1) The club applied to the Swavesey Parish Council and the South Cambridgeshire District Council for a total of £3000 funding.
2) The club has also applied to the Sport England Movement Fund and been awarded £4500. This is on the condition of matched funding from donations through this CrowdFunder, to total £9000.
This will take us to our overall target of £12000, which will pay for the full refurbishment of the walls on courts 2 & 3.
Why does the club need your help?
In order for the club to receive the £4500 grant from Sport England, we need to match that funding, and raise £4500.
This money needs to be raised through this website.
The club needs your help to achieve this!
1. Donate! Please consider donating!
2. Share this page. Share this CrowdFunder on your social media pages and with friends!
3. Offer rewards. Check out the rewards already on offer. Maybe you could offer something!
4. Fundraise for the club. If you want to run your own fundraiser – maybe a sponsored activity or similar – use the 'contact project' button at the top of this page to let us know. Setting up your own page only takes a few minutes and you won’t need any bank details. Just a fun idea!