Who are we?
The village sports organisations who use the facilities Barns Green Rugby Club, Barns Green Football Club, Barns Green Cricket Club, and Barns Green Stoolball Club together Barns Green & Itchingfield Sports & Social Club and Barns Green Playing Field and Village Hall Trust are collaborating to raise the estimated total costs to renovate the old changing rooms. This project is being led by the rugby and football club.
Why are we crowdfunding?
The original changing rooms have remained relatively untouched since the 1950’s, they are no longer fit for purpose and woefully unable to cope with the growing demand placed on them for winter and summer sports facilities.
A previous project to build two new changing rooms has already been completed, together with an extension to the structure of the old changing rooms. This is the final part to strip out and reconfigure the internal space to provide two refurbished changing rooms, an officials changing room and separate storage area. This will allow facilities for four teams to change and provide the flexibility to allow for separate changing areas when required.
Once finished this will provide facilities to accommodate players, officials, senior and junior teams for all the clubs to use. This project is an internal refit, it requires no planning permission, and our estimated total cost is £115,000. We currently have raised £13,500. This includes donations received and a £5,000 grant from the RFU. We have other funding applications pending and will update our supporters as soon as we have news on those. Our target for donations from this crowdfunding page is £10,000.
What we want to achieve, this is what the new changing rooms that have already been completed look like:
Officials changing area:
Team changing areas:
Accessible toilet:
This is the area we need to reconfigure and improve in the original changing rooms:
Storage area in new extension
Old changing rooms
Showers
Makeshift changing/storage area
WHY NOW?
In 2022 our village lost one of its’ most popular sons. Richie Barrett. He has a very special place in our hearts as a loyal, forthright and robust competitor for the cricket, football and rugby teams but also he was witty, kind and a top bloke who carried with him a broad knowledge and perception of life that was easy to identify in conversation. All of us who knew him, young and old, were better because of him. We wish to commemorate his life with this renovation project, his loss has been the impetus for our collaboration.
How you can play your part
A contribution to our fund would be fantastic. If you feel you may be able to offer goods or services that could help us then contact us through this crowd funding page and we will get straight back to you. Additionally, please share this page, as well as thousands of people using these changing rooms over the years many more knew Richie. Perhaps you didn’t know him but have taken that one handed falling backwards catch on a cricket field that no one could work out how? Or played in the front row of a scrum? Or sung ‘sit down’ by James? Any of these finds you sitting next to Richie. His memory will live on through this project.
Thank you for your help.
There are four simple ways to help us reach our target, and make this project a reality.
1. Make a pledge. Every donation counts large or small!
2. Spread the word. Share our project on your social media pages and tell the world to get behind us! The more people we reach, the more support we will get.
3. Offer other help. Get involved if you are a local business by offering to donate materials that can be used in the project. Perhaps you have a reward you can offer in return for donations. Use the 'contact project' button at the top of our page to let us know if you would like to help. We will give you a shout out!
4. If you want to run your own fundraiser to support us, maybe a sponsored activity or similar, use the 'contact project' button at the top of our page to let us know. Setting up your own page only takes a few minutes and you won’t need any bank details. Just a fun idea!
How we’ll spend the money raised
The money we raise will be spent on alterations to the layout of the old changing rooms and fitting them out with modern facilities. How much of the work we can carry out will depend on the amount we can raise.
Community impact
Barns Green has a long sporting history, with cricket and football both being founded over 100 years ago, with the first recorded cricket game dating back to 1881. Since then sport has formed an important part of the community, bringing everyone together and providing opportunities for everyone. On a summer's evening you can find cricket, stoolball, rugby and football all practising on the village green. The facilities are used by all age groups from under 9's to veterans sides.
Thriving sports clubs also help to support and sustain the sports and social club, an important venue for the community.
Immediate beneficiaries will be to adult winter sports teams. It will provide the opportunity for Football and Rugby teams to play at home on the same days AND offer top class changing facilities to their visitors. This renovation, along with the eastern changing room block completed in 2019, will provide alternative changing accommodation for all genders and age groups providing separate spaces which can easily be safeguarded.
Additionally, it will be of benefit to annual events held on the village green such as the regionally acclaimed Run Barns Green which includes a half marathon, 10k and 5k races (circa 1200 to 1500 visitors) and the Si Viney Commemorative Tag Rugby Sevens (circa 200 visitors). These events raise funds for charities and local organisations.