Barrow AFC.net

Brand new chop saw delivered this weekend (thank's again to Geoff Payne for buying this for us)

Metal cabinets were dropped off at the ground last week along with a few other handy bit's & piece's.

All I need now is to be able to retire/win the lottery & actually spend some time putting everything together!!

I'm not normally one for reading the Evening Mail, much less a story about the rugby and much much less still, giving them any credit; but

http://www.nwemail.co.uk/raiders/news/9 ... ome/2.3320

They seem to have raised a large amount of cash towards ground development in a short space of time, maybe some thing we could aim for if we focus fund raising

of particular interest

...development fund, which has since paid for new toilets and a refreshments kiosk on the Popular Side, a new on-ground shop and repairs to the Clive Street wall...

it shows it can be done...

PRR wrote:it shows it can be done...

It does show what can be done....but, people can't sit back & wait for thing's to happen.

We've come quite a way since six week's ago through supporters & local business's helping & donating item's & money. We have a fantastic opportunity to show the Board what can be done (something a lot of people moaned about in the summer) but there are things that have surprised me a little, such as the fund raising side of things - I didn't want to ask for money as we get asked all of the time for that but why haven't more people donated things to sell? Some offers have been very good & have raised a bit of money but thats basically it, a bit of money. People must have things lying around in there house's that we could sell, it might only raise £5 £10 or whatever but EVERYTHING we've got so far hasn't cost us anything (apart from a cash donation off Lancaster Branch & another off Geoff Payne)
We're trying our hardest not to use any of the money we have put away in case something comes up that'll cost, & if it does it wont take much at all to wipe that out.
I've had some great offers of tools off various people but not one of any joinery type tools. If something needed doing at the ground that required that sort of tool we couldn't do it - simple as that.
Darren Herbert has very kindly offered to help us out with the electrical side of things but I'm not sure if he is qualified to pass it off (I only spoke to him for five minutes, so I'll need to speak to him some more on that) so if he isn't where will we find the money to pay for someone to do that?
I honestly can't believe no one has come forward to do that despite repeated plea's both on here & over the tannoy system at match days, about 1,000 people hearing that & not one is a spark willing to donate a bit of his time!
Today's positive is though, Edmondsons Electrical have dropped a load of gear off at the ground, wiring, sockets, lighting etc, etc......the negative is we might not be able to connect it up!

So at the moment the rugby are showing us the way.

IIRC Doesn't one of the Rugby directors (possibly even the chairman?) run a building firm? Makes things a lot easier

Ian, I have loads of tools but I do use them for my work but would be happy to loan anything that you need so long as im not using them at the time? Its not a perfect scenario but if it helps in the short term, then so be it.

Also available to help do jobs if its things I do, I wont get involved in stuff I know nowt about just give me notice.

spirit of 1990 wrote:

PRR wrote:it shows it can be done...

It does show what can be done....but, people can't sit back & wait for thing's to happen.

We've come quite a way since six week's ago through supporters & local business's helping & donating item's & money. We have a fantastic opportunity to show the Board what can be done (something a lot of people moaned about in the summer) but there are things that have surprised me a little, such as the fund raising side of things - I didn't want to ask for money as we get asked all of the time for that but why haven't more people donated things to sell? Some offers have been very good & have raised a bit of money but thats basically it, a bit of money. People must have things lying around in there house's that we could sell, it might only raise £5 £10 or whatever but EVERYTHING we've got so far hasn't cost us anything (apart from a cash donation off Lancaster Branch & another off Geoff Payne)
We're trying our hardest not to use any of the money we have put away in case something comes up that'll cost, & if it does it wont take much at all to wipe that out.
I've had some great offers of tools off various people but not one of any joinery type tools. If something needed doing at the ground that required that sort of tool we couldn't do it - simple as that.
Darren Herbert has very kindly offered to help us out with the electrical side of things but I'm not sure if he is qualified to pass it off (I only spoke to him for five minutes, so I'll need to speak to him some more on that) so if he isn't where will we find the money to pay for someone to do that?
I honestly can't believe no one has come forward to do that despite repeated plea's both on here & over the tannoy system at match days, about 1,000 people hearing that & not one is a spark willing to donate a bit of his time!
Today's positive is though, Edmondsons Electrical have dropped a load of gear off at the ground, wiring, sockets, lighting etc, etc......the negative is we might not be able to connect it up!

So at the moment the rugby are showing us the way.

My post wasn't intended to knock the tremendous efforts people are already making for the cause. I totally understand that fund raising can reach saturation point however I'd be more than willing to donate cash to any ground development fund. I walk past Holker St at the moment and it makes me feel a little sad every time, cause it looks in such a sorry state.

Raise the Roof succeeded all the years ago, it can succeed again in a new form, I'm sure.

PRR wrote:My post wasn't intended to knock the tremendous efforts people are already making for the cause. I totally understand that fund raising can reach saturation point however I'd be more than willing to donate cash to any ground development fund. I walk past Holker St at the moment and it makes me feel a little sad every time, cause it looks in such a sorry state.

Raise the Roof succeeded all the years ago, it can succeed again in a new form, I'm sure.

I realise that you weren't knocking any effort anyone makes & I wasn't having a go at you, I was just stating a couple of facts such as how hard it seems to be to get people to just push themselves that little bit to help out in any small way they can.
How many people post on a regular basis on here? a lot more than the twenty or so that have offered help or donated money or tools but in summer it seemed like everyone was slating the BoD's for not making use of volunteer's.
I'm not bothered at all, & I'm sure the others that help out aren't either that we do the main organising of the maitenance area but it'd help out so much if more people thought about some of the thing's that we ask for & need. We're not asking for people to pluck twenty notes out of their pockets or throw their brand new tool kit at us, just have a little think of what they have lying around that we could put to use & perhaps make themselves available to do the odd bit for the club.
As I've already said, if the club said we'd like you to have a look at doing a job but it needed us to spend on it, the money put aside would virtually go in one fell swoop, so what would we do? ask the BDF when their money is tied up already helping the club.
It's no good having the maintenance area full of donated gear but no materials to do any jobs. I've mentioned previously, this is a fantastic opportunity for US to show the Board what can be done, not just now or in six months but for years to come.
This area COULD save the club a small fortune in the coming years but not without more people helping out.

This is how I see this area working -

The BoD's or a supporter see a job that needs doing they then inform one of us through here or contact John Mackay - we go to the volunteer list & contact the people with the skills needed, they collect the keys from the reception to gain access to the maintinance area & away they go.

It can be as successful.....or not, as we want to make it.

Spirit of 1990, would you just remind us what kind of stuff you can fairly easily sell? I might have some surplus household items shortly but I don't want to land you with anything that you think 'What the hell am I going to do with this??!'

Nigel Bamford wrote:Spirit of 1990, would you just remind us what kind of stuff you can fairly easily sell? I might have some surplus household items shortly but I don't want to land you with anything that you think 'What the hell am I going to do with this??!'

Ha, ha, unless your going to dump a load of stuff out of your bin on my doorstep, most thing's will sell I suppose Nigel.

Basically anything that you would see in the small ad's in the Mail or on a works notice board........fish tank, a bike, tent, pram, safety gate, fire guard, hi-fi, wife, lawn mower.....if it raises a fiver it's a fiver we didn't have.

I'll be collecting some stuff this week off a lad off here so I can stick that on the intranet notice board at work & in the Mail next week.

Drop me a pm if you have anything, thank's Nigel.

olbarrafancumbak wrote:Ian, I have loads of tools but I do use them for my work but would be happy to loan anything that you need so long as im not using them at the time? Its not a perfect scenario but if it helps in the short term, then so be it.

Also available to help do jobs if its things I do, I wont get involved in stuff I know nowt about just give me notice.

Thank's Mike, both very handy & helpful offer's.

Will be in touch if anything come's up.

You wait for one to turn up then all of a sudden there's four of em!!.........leccy's I'm on about.

Will look to get lighting, sockets etc fitted after Christmas. Great new's that as we were really struggling to get that job done.

If you have anything to help out just drop me a pm or post on here.

Just a quick thank you to Glasgow Blue & Esso Blue off here for the items they've donated & dropped off over Christmas.

Plenty of very useful electrical tools, drill bit's, & jigsaw blades which if you don't mind GB I'd like to sell (if possible) about half of the drill bit's & blades to raise a little cash.
If that's ok I'll stick them on the "Buying & Selling" topic shortly.

Esso Blue has given us plenty of stuff to put on the "Buying & Selling" topic which I'll also do asap, handy stuff for anyone doing a bit of DIY around the house.

To those that have pointed out some small (& some bigger) job's around the ground that need looking at, we haven't forgot about them but we'll have to come up with some sort of plan - as in speaking to the directors about whether any of the job's could be done or if they have something more pressing that needs looking at first.

Hopefully we can get to start the important stuff such as the lighting, sockets & so on in the next few weeks.

Been a little quiet over the Christmas holidays at the maintenance area but me & Mr Senario were down there today & without being told by the person involved, we walked in to find the floor area had been concreted!!
That's a fantastic gesture because there would of been no way we could of paid for it to be done, the person who was responsible was Peter Schofield of Schofield Construction, so if you ever see him out, buy him a pint & send Mrs Senorita the bill
We have a couple of sparks coming down on Sunday to connect cables & fit sockets which we now really need doing to help convert the space into a proper working maintenance area.
The area has come on leaps & bounds from three months ago & is really starting to take shape & actually looking like what it's meant to be. This couldn't of been done without the help of people like Peter, Dave Stewart at Edmonsons (Electrical) all the people who have given up their time, donated things to sell, donated tools, donated money (LB & Geoff Payne) transported things around the town to the ground, shifted rubbish, BAE for giving us at no charge, cabinets & screens.....all sorts of people doing & giving all sorts of things.
We think the first job to be done (which has already been started) will be Richard Inghams "cubby hole" for selling programme's on match days.
We hope to be doing plenty more in the future, so if you see something that needs looking at, either PM me or get in touch with John Mackay & let us know, not saying everything can be sorted but we'll try our best. This hopefully will include calling on people who have filled in the volunteer form & getting help off them.
I've still been taking pictures of the progress & will hopefully post them sometime in the near future (when someone tells me how to do it )

If you have anything that you think could be of use to us please PM or reply on here.

Really good effort - congratulations and thanks to all involved.

How positive does this sound....... great job everyone!!!