OC Clubhouse '26: An Update & Request for Donations

Dear Members,

Following our update at the start of the campaign, we wanted to give you a clear picture of where the Clubhouse Regeneration Project now stands.

We need to start the work at the end of 2026 so we have better facilities for the 2027 summer season. But that timetable depends on appointing builders in October and we can only appoint them if we have enough funds.

We estimate around 150 members have contributed to the Club. Indirect contributions through sponsorships, merchandise, tournament and events have contributed £10,500. An additional £5,200 is from donations on our Just Giving page. However, the most significant contribution is from 14 members who through large direct contributions donations (>£1,000) or loans (>£5,000) have raised £45,300.

Our fundraising strategy has always intended to be voluntary and designed to give all members many different reasons to contribute. However, it also assumed that a significant number of members would be glad to make individual donations (many small, some large, perhaps one or two very large), and that the club would rally together around the shared goal.

For 150 members to have contributed a total of £61,000 is great engagement. However, we sill have a long way to go: with circa 20% of the club contributing so far, there is still 80% of members still to do so. A few very committed members cannot carry a £250,000 target.

We understand (and hope) that many people may be holding back until the results from the construction tender process are known. However, we do not anticipate a major change to current cost estimates. Therefore, now is the time for us to be more direct and make one request:

If you have not made a donation via Just Giving, please do so in August via https://www.justgiving.com/campaign/occlubhouse26 - any amount is really welcome. If you would like to make a larger donation (£1000+) or are considering a member loan (£5000+), please contact Caroline, Bob, Alyson or Aruna. If you are a UK taxpayer, Gift Aid allows us to increase the value of your donation by 25% at no additional cost to you.

August is the month to make the commitment so we can have the funds booked or scheduled ahead of our next update with the bank. Contribute whatever you feel is appropriate considering your level of engagement and enjoyment of the club (now and in the future).

NEXT STEPS

We have requested tenders for construction and should have the results in September. At that stage we will have tested cost estimates and can offer our final tranche of fundraising options: member bricks, sponsorship opportunities etc. As required, we will begin a series of Town Halls on how to close the remaining funding gap. These will culminate in an Extraordinary General Meeting or EGM when the time is right.

UPCOMING EVENTS

In August, the fundraising baton is being held by Arlo and Monty Coletto (AKA Team Velo Coletto), aged 8 and 11, who are taking on a sponsored bike ride in support of the project – see https://www.justgiving.com/page/monty-arlo-100ride?utm_medium=FR&utm_source=CL. If every member of the club sponsors them £10 - £20 they will raise c.£10k on their own!

You can expect a final rallying cry and call-to-arms ahead of the final big events we have planned. Look out for further details of scheduled events and details of a silent auction.

Further information is available on the Club's website: https://oldcollege.co.uk/faqs

If you would like to discuss the project or how you can support it, please contact Caroline Beck. Bob Henderson, James Ireson, Aruna Iyengar or Alyson Fox.

Thank you for your continued support of the Club and the Clubhouse Regeneration Project.

The Club Committee

09/08/2026