Ex Services and Disabled Wheelchair Rugby Club in Dorset 9 November 2014 at 12:31PM in Charities 12 replies 7.8K views

MeandHer1989

Hi All

As you can imagine fundraising for Wheelchair Rugby Chairs is not cheap.

Each Wheelchair costs £2,600 and every penny counts.

Can you help us by donating, even for the price of a cup of coffee.

Not only are we helping the Disabled in the Community, but Ex Service Men and Women and Current Service Men and Women.

Thanks for your time

https://www.indiegogo.com/projects/the-dorset-destroyers-wheelchair-rugby-club

MeandHer1989

If you're skint and cannot afford to donate then can you please vote for us to win £300?

All it takes is a vote and validate your e mail address - Nothing else at all.

It all helps us

http://www.galaxyhotchocolate.com/galaxyfund2014/Default.aspx?p1=profiles&p2=the-dorset-destroyers-wheelchair-rugby-club

MeandHer1989

And this is the latest article, with a video of us playing in the Bournemouth Daily Echo

http://www.bournemouthecho.co.uk/news/11565462.VIDEO__Dorset_Destroyers_____see_what_it___s_like_to_play_in_the_county___s_first_wheelchair_rugby_club/?ref=fbshr

kingfisherblue

Hi, have you applied for any funding? SportEngland, Boost, Peter Harrison Foundation spring to mind. I've just googled and found this link as well:


http://sports.motivation.org.uk/funding/


You might also have a Council for Voluntary Service locally - they can often help to find sources of funding, and might be able to help fill in applications. Libraries often have FunderFinder for users to access (a subscription site). My local libraries each have a Funding Corner, with books full of smaller funders, many not on the internet.


Good luck with your funding x

MeandHer1989

Currently I've just sent off a Sport England grant for £10,000 to buy 4 Wheelchairs and I've got other bits in the pipeline.

Unfortunately, being disabled myself and work self employed I never have enough hours in the day to do them all!!

But hey ho, I've got to keep working to keep food on the table :beer:

kingfisherblue

Don't forget that others can help with funding applications, whether it is researching grants, writing bids, or sourcing equipment. Also, local companies might sponsor a chair if their advert appears on the back. I hope you are successful with your SportEngland bid, and any other funding you apply for.

MeandHer1989

Hi Kingfisher - We've had a few companies contact me who said they will charge 10% of the grant they are applying for to guarantee the money!!

Otherwise no charge.

Hmmmmm...that's a lot of money when you're trying to get £40,000 :eek::eek::(

http://www.galaxyhotchocolate.com/galaxyfund2014/profiles/the-dorset-destroyers-wheelchair-rugby-club

Savvy_Sue

A freelance fundraiser or a fundraising company will have to charge you somehow. However, with a little bit of research and attention to detail, a volunteer can do it.

Have you found your local voluntary services council? If you have, try advertising for a volunteer fundraiser. They may run courses too, or have access to specialist fundraising resources (directory of grant making trusts, searchable ...)

MeandHer1989

So here we are 18 months later and we've gone from my mate Paul, my wife Sue and I into a Team of 20 with 8 Volunteers and are joining the League in December 2016.

We played our 5th Friendly yesterday and won 51-41. Only our second victory out of 6 matches, but we drew 2 as well. We lost the last one against Division 1 Team (We enter at Division 3) and the match before that we won comprehensively 69-18.

So it's all moving on the right direction. We have no sponsors for the club which is a bit awkward as we are constantly fundraising which can be draining, but you can't go anywhere without money!!!

We pay no one at all. No coaching fees, no travel, nowt at all. All money is used for the good of the club and getting more disabled people to try this sport.


[URL="Part 1 of The Dorset Destroyers VS West Country Hawks on Sunday June 19th at Rossmore Leisure Centre. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TdgSNFUPAVQ"]Part 1 of The Dorset Destroyers VS West Country Hawks on Sunday June 19th at Rossmore Leisure Centre. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TdgSNFUPAVQ[/URL]

kingfisherblue

It sounds as though you are doing well, and you've obviously put loads of effort into your fundraising and your playing. Finding a sponsor would obviously help. have you asked the local newspaper to help? Maybe they could write an article and as well as mentioning your success, state that you are looking for sponsors.


Just another thought - are the wheelchairs being supplied VAT free? I don't know the ins and outs, but there is some sort of VAT relief for equipment that is specifically for use by disabled people. Contact HMRC for information.


Are you a registered charity? It might be worth considering, as this will open more funding streams for you.


Also, I don't know if you have seen this page:


http://www.disability-grants.org/grants-for-sports.html#clubsandgroups


I'm assuming you have seen this page:


https://www.dorsetforyou.gov.uk/grants


Good luck for the future, and I hope you go from strength to strength.


Looking forward to future updates.

MeandHer1989

Well here we are 4 years on. We've played the Invictus UK team, we were 2nd in our first year in the League, we've set up a Wheelchair Basketball Club (The Dorset Devils) and 4 other sports clubs.

We've played with Jonny Wilkinson (Well he got into one of our chairs and said he'd play for 5 minutes, and 45 minutes later he was still playing)

And yesterday we played a triple header of matches to celebrate our third year of training

In April we play in the very first tournament for a new version of Wheelchair Rugby called Wheelchair Rugby 5's (More like the Invictus version)

And in March we are doing a 24 hour + Wheelchair Rugby Marathon to beat the record in the Guinness Book of Records

https://www.justgiving.com/crowdfunding/24hourwrugby

We are also one of the largest clubs in the UK :beer::beer::beer:

So if you are sitting at home thinking something is impossible, just keep trying and it will happen.

It's partly thanks to this forum as well that we managed it

Thanks MSE