Sports Hall Appeal: Initial Plans and Proposals

WHY BRGS NEEDS A SPORTS HALL...

BRGS’ sporting reputation is very high. Last year, we were successful in netball, basketball and orienteering at national and county championship level.

This success has been achieved with only one indoor sports facility, a small gym, built over 60 years ago which was intended to cater for about 300 pupils. Today, our sports facilities do not meet the needs of our 1,250 pupils.

We have had a vision to build a Sports Hall for a number of years but due to limited public funding this has not yet been realised. We are looking to the support of former pupils, parents, businesses and charitable trusts to enable us to achieve this vision for the benefit of our current and future generations of pupils.

We do not have a tradition of requesting financial support for our capital development plans. Many other schools do, and after exploring all options available to us we realise that in this case, if we are to provide the best for our students we are dependent on your support.

Maybe you have benefited from your education at BRGS and would like to say thank you to the school? Perhaps you would simply like to invest in your child’s education or your company would like to give as a business opportunity. In any case, we hope you share our vision and that you will consider investing in the education of our current pupils. Your support will be gratefully received and will enable us to provide facilities where students can discover and develop their talents, interests and abilities to the full.

We lack an indoor multi-sport facility of an acceptable size and standard. The school gym has been criticised by Ofsted Inspection Reports as being below the recommended level. It is frequently overcrowded with up to 90 children when lessons have to be held indoors due to adverse weather.

To resolve this, the new development will meet the following requirements:

a full-sized netball court suitable for county level matches
a dance studio and fitness suite
facilities for basketball, volleyball, indoor football and cricket as well as many other sports.
Changing facilities for up to 90 pupils
Two large classrooms to help address our teaching space shortage.

The Sports Hall shall transform the amount and type of sport available to students at BRGS. A Sport Hall will not only benefit students at BRGS but will also be of benefit to children from local primary schools and the wider community.

The total cost of the project is £1 million. We have been working very hard to secure a number of early donations to our Appeal, and are delighted to report that we have reached £900,000 through careful management of the school’s reserves and generous support already received from companies, trusts and individuals. Raising the remaining £100,000 out of our target will be the most difficult stage of fundraising!

You could help the school through making a regular contribution by standing order either on a monthly, quarterly, half-yearly or yearly instalment. This soon adds up to large sums, especially as we can reclaim tax on your donations through Gift Aid, if you are a UK taxpayer. For example, for every £100 given to the appeal we can gain an extra £28 in tax you have already paid. Tables with various levels of giving are outlined in the Sports Hall Appeal leaflet available to download, which show how even modest contributions can add up to substantial amounts. Another option could be to make a single gift to BRGS.

To make a gift to BRGS then please download either the: ‘Regular Gift’ form or the ‘Single Gift’ form.

Each of these forms includes a gift aid declaration for you to sign to enable us to claim back tax.

We hope that you will consider helping us in some way, however small or large as your circumstances allow. Your support will be acknowledged on a Roll of Honour, or you may wish to keep your support anonymous.