Light The Future

Aim

Lydney RFC are fundraising to enhance the facilities by adding new LED floodlights to our training facility and upgrade of changing rooms.

Who are we?

Lydney RFC was founded in 1888, when there were already 8 teams playing in the town. The club drew its strength and many of its players from the local tinplate works, and for many years Lydney RFC were known as the ‘Tinplaters’ later to be called the Severnsiders as close proximity to the River Severn. 

For a town with a population which has only recently exceeded 10,000, Lydney has more than held its own against clubs from bigger towns, and has a great record in the National leagues, National knock out cup, playing Saracens, Sale and Exeter Chiefs. In the last 40 years or so Lydney has produced internationals such as Chris Williams, Gordon Sargent, Bev Dovey, Trevor Wintle and Peter Kingston. 

The Club has produced numerous County and professional club players over the years and its junior set up was a huge part of this success, a current example is Jack Bartlett who played for Gloucester and now at Coventry this season. In recent times, Covid 19 played a huge part in the club losing players and volunteers. The club has re-organised the committee and started looking at building a stronger club for the future, and future generations.

The club currently fields a first and second XV in the senior section, Colts, U15's and U12's in the youth and juniors. Pre covid the club had around 200 mini and junior members and the plans are starting to be put in place to return to these numbers to allow the children of Lydney and surrounding areas to play and build their confidence, enhance their fitness and sporting acumen as many before them.

Club Values 

Our club values cover the following, Respect; Integrity; Inclusivity; Fun; Excellence and Collaboration are consistent with those of the Rugby Football Union and are as follows: 

• RESPECT: Our LRFC members demonstrate self-respect, respect for teams, coaches, officials, volunteers, club, and community by showing gratitude, discipline and a commitment to the safety of all.

• INTEGRITY: Our actions in all aspects of the club, both on and off the pitch, are open, transparent, informed, fair and always in the best interests of the players and all of those involved in the game.
• INCLUSIVITY: LRFC is open to all and, as a result, we enjoy a vibrant and diverse culture which enables all of our members to grow to be the best version of themselves.

• FUN: A passion for the game at all ages and stages, both on and off the pitch means that rugby is a source of joy for all involved in LRFC.
• EXCELLENCE: As caretakers of LRFC we will always do our very best, in playing the game, managing the club and engaging with our community.

• COLLABORATION: Openness and co-operation has always been a part of the culture of LRFC and we strive to work with and expand our stakeholder network and community involvement .

Why are we crowdfunding?

We need to raise £16000 to complete the budget for new floodlights and poles on the recreation training ground and alter the changing rooms to make them future proof for our mini and youth teams. Having secured a grant of £34000 it now becomes imperative to crowdfund and try and secure the balance of the £50000 needed. With your help we believe we can achieve this amount and secure the future of rugby and the facilities in Lydney. 

The Covid crisis decimated our mini and youth section and we are starting to see the green shoots appearing with new teams starting and more players returning to the game. With all teams needing  a space to train and more teams needing the space the upgrade to the training area floodlighting has now become necessary. One small area being used on numerous times a week has turned it into a what can only be described as a mud bath. This in turn makes it difficult to use which can mean sessions are cancelled and injuries can occur.

The aim of the project is to ensure that the local community can continue to use the recreation ground as part of the sporting facilities on offer in Lydney. Following an inspection by a lighting consultant it was determined that the lighting levels are not safe for a training environment for football or rugby. The columns are timber, covered in moss and the control boxes are no longer fit for purpose. The current floodlights are not suitable for another winter season. The improvement in provision will be better lighting, creating a safer environment and attracting more people to become involved in sport.The new lights will cost less to run, leave less of a carbon footprint and allow the club to keep fees to a minimum, continuing to make us one of the most accessible facilities in the area.

The changing rooms need work to modernise the facility. A new block has been built and this requires finishing along with the rest of the changing areas with safe guarding, children and hopefully the return of the women's team in mind.

How we’ll spend the money raised

The money raised will be used to get both projects over the finish line. With planning in place for both projects it is now just a case of raising the required money.  The lighting contractor has quoted for the works and been appointed and currently works alongside the RFU to help these type of projects get over the finish line. The changing rooms will be finished by our wonderful facilities committee. They need the funds to secure the materials needed to finish the project. The self help we gain from our membership is incredible and once again offers of help are flowing in to get the project finished.

Community impact

The club and grounds have been used by many over the years.

The club is also used for many other community groups and events including NHS clinics, christenings, weddings and the annual Barnes charity day in aid of Breast Cancer Now. The club works on a not for profit basis and all donations received will be used in building a bigger and better asset for the town.

Current user groups of the recreation ground are; 

• Lydney Town AFC Youth (Goalkeeper training) 
• Lydney Town AFC
• Lydney Town AFC ladies
• Lydney Rugby Club
• Lydney Rugby Club Youth
• Lydney Rugby Club Women 
• Lydney Running Group Winter Fitness Classes.

This is approximately 120 -150 people per week.
During the winter months the rec ground is a vital training area as cost to train on 3G pitches are extortionate and availability is very limited if clubs can afford to train on them. By using the recreation ground for training the clubs can ensure that any cost to train is kept low and affordable for everyone to participate.

 The changing facilities upgrade will also help the club to host more school matches, in recent times the club have been used by Dean Academy, Monmouth and Dean Close schools to help support the growth of rugby in the county.

How you can play your part

There are four simple ways to help us reach our target, and make this project a reality.

1. Make a pledge. Don’t delay if you’re going to support us because momentum is key to our success!

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 rewards. Get involved if you are a local business by donating things we can offer to our supporters. We will give you a shout out!

4. Fundraise for us. If you want to run your own fundraiser – 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!

This project successfully funded on 11th January 2024