Help Westoe Squash Club replace it's squash court roof and repair their playing facilities, help us to save our club.
by Chris Boyer in South Shields, Tyne and Wear, United Kingdom
THANK YOU soo much for your donations so far! Your support is greatly appreciated.
If we are fortunate to raise a little extra, this would get us even closer to our target of making our dreams of a new roof a reality. We could provide a safe and dry indoor facility for all members and sporting sections to use, welcome more people to the club, encourage more kids to the game and hold more community events.
South Shields and Westoe Squash Club
Please help South Shields and Westoe Squash Club replace it’s squash court roof and repair their playing facilities. Unfortunately our roof is now beyond repair and we need your help to replace it so we can keep this great club going.
Your help will allow us to replace the clubs leaking roof due to recent storm damage, upgrade and revitalise the clubs playing and changing facilities which will allow to us thrive and allow us to encourage more people within the community to pick up a racket and get playing.
Our Club
South Shields and Westoe Sports club or Westoe to our members and supporters is a small club with a massive heart and we are always welcoming new players and members regardless of age, background, sporting ability who would like to engage or participate in sport and physical activity. Based in the heart of South Shields, squash is one of the club’s four playing sections. Squash has its own building with two courts and is home to a family of members, friends and supporters. As a club we are passionate about providing opportunities and we want everyone regardless of their age, background, or level of ability, to feel able to take part in sport and physical activity.
Why we need your support
We are in desperate need of a new roof, following the recent storm damage and persistent rain, our roof is sadly failing us and we would like to replace this so we can continue playing at the club we love.
Our members have been extremely generous, continuing to contribute and help support repairs and fixes including the replacement of our changing room roof which has been massively appreciated. However due to the COVID club closure, loss in revenue has meant we are under immense pressure and this is a plea for your help and support. We know times are hard for everyone but if you are able to help us with anything, your support would mean a lot to us.
Over the past few years, we experienced some severe weather and the squash buildings flat roof above our courts has been retaining water and unfortunately the felt material is cracking. Internal roof tiles above the viewing gallery have given way due to the volume of rain we have recently had. The effects the downpours of rain have had were devastating, at times our courts closely resembled paddling pools and were far from playable! The water damage to the outside roof, the inside tiles, external walls, court internal walls and floors mean a significant amount of repair works are required.
Recent inspections by professional local roofers have highlighted the roof is in a very poor condition and needs a comprehensive strip and recover. Water continues to be retained in areas of the flat roof and roof joists have been badly damaged and will need to be replaced. There is also noticeable damage to the guttering which is causing rain water to damage the external brickwork. We have recently installed a vapour barrier and we are hoping this plastic covering will prevent further damage but this really is a last resort we have to prevent further damage.
How will we spend the funding?
With your support we would like to prioritise the following repairs:
We even have our own forestry going on:
All of these improvements would provide more opportunities for our local community to participate in our sport and become part of our squash family.
The expected cost of this process is around £36,000. Through financial support from our wider sports club we are looking to raise around £16,000 towards this but we need your support to get closer towards our goal.
Our club and the local community
The squash club has a wide range of players starting from as little as aged 3 to players in their 80's, all from a wide range of backgrounds and playing abilities. People come in to try the game, develop the squash bug and never leave. It is a family club with a family feel. There are several families with many generations that play at the club. Everyone at the club is very welcoming and has time to show new people to the game.
Its been a positive year for the squash section, there are more people starting to play and club nights are becoming more popular. We have a dedicated ladies night which is attracting more members and our Junior section is the biggest it has ever been. The club has always promoted activities and sessions for juniors and currently has a fast growing junior membership. Saturday mornings are dedicated to junior sessions, where they can come and learn the sport, receive group coaching, improve their knowledge of the game but most importantly to be active, have fun and meet new friends. They have fun playing and many create friendships for life. They are an integral part of the club and the key to the clubs future. We also help our juniors in their lives outside of squash by giving them the support, guidance and encouragement towards their Physical Education GCSE qualifications and their Duke of Edinburgh awards. Many of our juniors continue playing beyond our junior sessions and go on to represent the club, playing for our adult teams and the local county.
Last summer we delivered a squash camp in partnership with South Tyneside Council for local disadvantaged kids who learned about squash and other sports as well as receiving a free lunch. We saw over 100 kids from different backgrounds attend this camp and was a huge success. As a result we have seen some of the kids join our weekly junior sessions. These sessions were soo rewarding and had a massive positive impact, the kids had lots of fun (so did we) and new friends were made. The feedback from parents was incredibly uplifting with many asking when the next sessions were.
It has been a great couple of seasons for the men’s teams in the Northumbria leagues. Last year the men's first team finished second in the Premier League (narrowly missing out on top spot) and went onto to win the Northumbria Cup which is proudly showcased in our trophy cabinet. Last year our second team cemented their position in First Division of the Northumbria's leagues. This was a massive achievement for the teams. To have two teams competing in the top two divisions in Northumbria is a great success for Westoe. As we approach the end of this current squash season, the mens team are due to finish third in the Premier league and the second team continue to fight for a place in next year's first division. Another successful year in the leagues for our club. None of this would be possible without the support of the whole club, who have stepped in to play and support the club over the past year.
To follow the club's successes please see the Northumbria Squash website: https://www.northumbriasquash.co.uk/2018/08/northumbria-squash-league/
We would love to grow our membership further and increase our playing numbers. With the club and members support we have made some recent improvements. The roof over the changing room area has now been replaced and this looks great. These improvements are already making a massive difference.
Away from the competitive external leagues, we run club nights four days of the weeks. Club nights are special and are a great way of playing with different people. The nights are very popular and consist of players playing one game of squash and then rotating around with others that are present on the night. Quite often members socialise in the club's bar after the games have finished and this adds to the club's togetherness and helps support the club financially.
Things we do within our community
We run an annual fireworks night that attracts over 1,000 people. The community gets the chance to appreciate a fantastic firework display, enjoy a range of fairground rides and activities and share some delicious street food and have a drink. This event is in its 11th year and is really popular with the community.
Our music events are well attended and provide a welcome place for the community to relax and enjoy the atmosphere. We were fortunate enough to turn our outdoor areas into a COVID safe concert area to provide a safe opportunity for our community to enjoy local music events.
Other fundraising events the club has run in the past to help support the club are Great North run weekends, Christmas quizzes, race nights, comedy nights, bands.
Westoe squash always tries to provide for the community in some way and we try to always give back. However, we find ourselves in an unusual situation where we need our communities support. We need everyone to pull together and support their local sports club, so we are able to survive, revive and thrive. We are therefore asking our local community, club members, players (past and present), supporters, residents, and businesses to all pull together and collectively help us through our most difficult time. With your help, we can continue to provide members of our community with the opportunity to engage in regular and meaningful activities.
Any donations received will be hugely appreciated and will be used to undertake the works highlighted above, so please donate if you can and 'pass it on' to a friend or colleague to help spread the word.
We would love to welcome you to our club so if you are new to the sport, looking to get back to the sport or just looking for a few hours out of the house please pop by. We are looking forward to seeing our club thriving once again.
How you can play your part
We now need the help of our members (past and present), supporters and friends to pledge funds and secure the future of our club, so we can continue to help the local community to improve both their physical health and their mental well-being. Here's how you can help:
1. Make a pledge. Don’t delay if you’re going to support us. Momentum is key to our success!
2. Spread the word. Share our project on your social media and encourage everyone 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!
We've prepared an exciting package of rewards to show our appreciation for your support. Thank you for taking the time to read our story. We are incredibly grateful for any contribution that you can provide.
Thank you.
This project offers rewards in return for your donation. Please select a reward below.