Good News folks!
We have finally heard from the Big Lottery and we have been awarded £168, 874 under their Reaching Communities programme. This is a very big step forward , but now the hard work will really start, to set the project on firm foundations and turn “Hazel” from a restored wooden boat into a living, breathing project , working “the cut” as a “wellbeing boat” .
The lottery funding is to last three years. It can only be spent on turning the Hazel Project into a living reality, but at the end of it we should have a self financing boat, a full time skipper and trained crew, earning enough income to pay for its upkeep and provide a great wellbeing resource for people in Tameside.
Some of the key tasks that we must complete in the short term are:
Finish physical restoration and internal refit of ‘Hazel’.
Advertise for a Development Manager.
Set up a Project Office and Admin systems.
Set up a Partnership Steering Group.
Develop an outline programme and matching expenditure profile for year one.
Identify risks to progress.
Agree a project start date.
But, establishing the project, agreeing a programme of work, overseeing the work and monitoring progress will be a big job in itself, never mind maintaining an overview across the wider WCBS activities.
Help needed !!
At the moment we have a dedicated, but very small band of managers / trustees. We need more support . If you are reliable and committed and have experience of overseeing and managing an important local charity and/or a lottery project or you think you have good, relevant business management skills to offer, please get in touch. We would like to hear from you.
Well done !
But , just for the moment, lets take a step back, pat ourselves on the back and celebrate what has been achieved so far. Hopefully, our lottery success really will help “Hazel” to make a difference; in fact, “new lives from an old boat”.
–
–
–
–
–