Keswick Rugby Club welcomed Copeland MP Trudy Harrison to the clubhouse to show her plans for its £1.9 million rebuild project.
Trudy Harrison visited the Davidson Park venue to meet the team behind the clubhouse rebuild project as well as view the new clubhouse project plans in detail.
She said she was impressed and excited she was about the plans and complimented the team on their fundraising to date as well as their ongoing commitment and engagement with the wider community in Keswick.
She also congratulated the team for its recent full planning application approval granted by the Lake District National Park Authority.
Keswick RFC President Tim Green arranged the visit after Mrs Harrison, a keen rugby union supporter, agreed to provide the rugby club with a letter of support for one of its major grant applications for £300,000.
Tim introduced her to members of the club’s BIG Build project and fundraising team. She was also given a tour of the existing clubhouse and changing room facilities by women’s captain Leanne Grave and Kate Stanton.
The team explained to Trudy that the main purpose of the clubhouse rebuild project was to overcome the two key issues the club was now facing.
There is an ongoing risk of flooding of the clubhouse, and the facilities are not fit for purpose for the number and diversity of players.
Since it was built in 1958, the clubhouse has been flooded many times, but in recent years things have moved onto a different level with bigger, more frequent floods occurring in 1985, 2005, 2009 and 2015.
After the 2015 flood, an insurance pay out was received but since then flood insurance has no longer been available.
It was designed to accommodate a single team of senior men; now there are 18 different teams catering for a range of ages and genders so players have simply outgrown the dated building.
Women’s and junior rugby have seen a huge growth in recent years, and now represent a majority of the club’s 650 present membership, with this expected to grow to over 1,000 members by 2030.
The club’s BIG BUILD team explained that the club was a vibrant, well used community hub, which boasts an impressive history dating back to its founding in 1879.
Currently the club has strong links throughout the community including Keswick schools, Keswick Lions as well as serving as a vibrant hub for the local community and a platform for various events, sports, and gatherings, fostering connections and community engagement across the region.
Amongst the many questions that Mrs Harrison asked about the project was the financing of the new clubhouse.
The club explained that the total build cost was £1.91m with £1.45m already being raised by the club through a mixture of club funds, a range of club member fundraising activities and a generous private match funder as well as a range of social investors and local sponsors.
The majority of the remaining £455,000 to be raised is expected to come from two major grant funds one of which has already received Mrs Harrison’s endorsement thanks to her valuable letter of support.
In the meantime, the club’s fundraisers and its supporters are continuing to work hard with all their fundraising activities in order to find the remainder of the funds required.
After the visit, Mr Green said: “It was an enormous source of pride for us to be able to host Trudy at our club and for me to introduce members of our team who have worked tirelessly on the Big Build project.
“I was particularly delighted that Trudy was so engaged with what we are endeavouring to achieve and also how positive she was about the work undertaken so far.
“From the fundraising efforts to the current grant applications and the design for the new facility, Trudy was enormously encouraging and her advice and offer of assistance will prove invaluable.’
Ms Grave added: “Here at Keswick we have a thriving volunteer-led rugby club at the heart of our community.
“Past and present members have always been a part of this push towards a better club for the future. With the growing success of our women’s and girls’ Falcons section of the club along with the well established men’s and youth sections, the Big Build will be a suitable place we can all enjoy together along with the larger surrounding community.
“It was a pleasure to host our MP Trudy Harrison last Friday and show her around our club and discuss the plans for the future.”
Carrick Wharmby, club captain and BIG BUILD project lead, said: “Given that this is the biggest development in Keswick rugby club’s history, it was a welcome and very much appreciated visit from Trudy Harrison. It was great to learn we have the support of someone who has dedicated so much time to the future of our county.”
