WHY DO WE NEED YOUR HELP?
Shenington Gliding Club and Shenington Airfield together provide a unique opportunity to fly at a beautiful location with excellent soaring potential. This partnership has existed for over 30 years. Unfortunately, a perfect storm of reduced membership, increasing rent and then the impact of Covid 19 means we now need time to change our business model to allow us to recover. Crowdfunded support will give us that time.
- Shenington Gliding Club's ethos has always been to keep its prices low in order to make learning to fly affordable for everyone, so we have never been a rich club.
- Prior to Covid-19, our membership had decreased significantly and we needed to increase the number of members in order to get the club to a sustainable level. Covid 19 exacerbated this existing issue by making it difficult to recruit and retain members.
- Despite the good will of the landlord, the rent for the airfield needs to be increased. The occurrence of Covid-19 has meant the opportunity to create more income through increased flying and increased membership has significantly decreased. We were also unable to hold our Regional Gliding Competition last summer, due to Covid 19, which again curbed our income.
- Predictions suggest that we will make a loss of £30,000 over the coming financial year, if we were to continue with the current business model. We are in severe danger of closing at the end of summer 2021, unless we adjust our business model as we come out of Covid-19 to increase membership, reduce expenditure and return Shenington Gliding Club to the thriving club that it used to be.
- In order to have time to adjust to this new business model, we are crowdfunding to ensure that we have the funds to make it through the next year, while we make the plan for the club’s future and implement it.
- While there are no guarantees this will work, we have the will and determination to give it our best try and with the enthusiasm of the membership behind us, to not lose our club, we believe that we will succeed.
- This is an 'All or Nothing' Fundraiser. If we do not reach our target of £35,000 in one month, all your donations will be refunded to you and your rewards cannot be claimed.
- Existing club members will be donating to this fundraiser, but we really need donations from far and wide to reach our target in time and save our club!
ABOUT SHENINGTON GLIDING CLUB
THE PEOPLE
- Shenington Gliding Club is a Community Amateur Sports Club (CASC), which is run by its club members.
- As a voluntary operation, all members contribute to the running of the airfield and most take part in voluntary rotas to ensure that there is always a team to run the airfield at weekends. Members include instructors, tug pilots, glider inspectors, repairers and many other volunteers – we are one big team, ensuring everyone gets to fly safely and have fun!
THE SITE
- Shenington Airfield was built during the Second World War as an Operational Training Unit for Wellington Bombers. Some of the early Whittle jet aircraft trials were also held at the airfield.
- After the war, the airfield was used by the Coventry Gliding Club (now moved to Husbands Bosworth). In 1990, Shenington Gliding Club was formed with 18 members.
- Shenington Airfield is situated in one of the best gliding areas in the country, away from the influence of coastal air which can dampen thermals, and largely free of restrictive airspace. Pilots can fly to East Anglia, Wales and south towards Salisbury Plain. Pilots have even flown from Shenington to North Yorkshire, and Truro, and back! The airfield is located at the top of Edgehill, making it an excellent site for ridge soaring in a north-westerly wind.
THE OPERATION
- We offer flying training to all ages and backgrounds in line with the current British Gliding Association Syllabus, including both winch and aerotow launch methods!
- For many years, Shenington Gliding Club has hosted the Shenington Regionals, one of the most popular gliding competitions in the UK. Our most recent entry list filled up in less than one minute, with over 15 people on the waiting list too!!! This competition runs over 9 days, with around 30 competitors, which means we have lots of gliders on the 'grid,' which have to be launched in under an hour - quite the spectacle! Our competition is not just about the flying, but also about putting on entertainment and creating a big ‘family’ atmosphere, so that the same competitors come back and fly with us year on year. Our fancy dress end-of-competition party is legendary!
- Shenington Gliding Club is an accredited Junior Gliding Centre, meaning that it has proven to have the training and facilities in place to tailor the experience for Junior pilots. We really want to support all young pilots and have held several training weeks for Loughborough University Gliding Club, during which several of their members have been sent solo.
- Shenington Gliding Club has successfully held two rounds of the UK Junior Gliding Winter Series, with around 100 Junior pilots in attendance at each event for a full weekend of flying, inspiring the next generation into gliding. The aim of these weekends is also to show Junior pilots what is possible in their future gliding careers, through experiencing flying at a new site and/or flying with experienced glider pilots cross-country in high-performance two seaters. This not only encourages junior pilots to progress in gliding, but also to forge their careers in the aerospace industry, including pilots, engineers and many other roles.
- Furthermore, volunteering on an airfield, whether that be launching gliders, driving the winch, retrieving gliders or helping with maintenance, all give young people responsibility for themselves, as well as others. Also, teamwork is essential in gliding - after all, you simply could not get airborne without the help of others! Therefore, gliding improves the teamwork, leadership and communication skills of young people, all extremely valuable skills as they prepare for adult life.
THE FLEET
We have an excellent fleet, with a newly refurbished ASK21 and two ASK13s for training. We also own our own tug, a beautiful Supermunk, as well as a Falke motorglider and a single-seat Ka8b glider, refurbished with a grant from Sport England in 2013.
THE BENEFITS
- Flying from one of the best thermal soaring sites in the UK, with both winch and aerotow launch options!
- Our two ASK13 two-seat training gliders and our single seat Ka8b glider can be equipped with hand rudder controls to allow paraplegic pilots to train, and then fly solo, making gliding accessible for everyone.
- We have many female pilots, from instructors to cross-country pilots and inspectors, providing excellent role models for girls and women to get into gliding, a historically male-dominated sport.
- A comfy clubhouse, bar and briefing room, as well as a kitchen and dining room suitable for hosting functions.
- In light of the Covid 19 pandemic, gliding offers the chance to be involved in a sport, improving both the mental and physical wellbeing of our pilots, while in a very low risk environment of the outdoors.
- Our membership is a community of like-minded people - many have been members of the club for almost 30 years. Some of us have been at SGC so long, that the other members almost feel like family- we are not known as ‘the friendly gliding club’ for nothing! We welcome anyone and everyone to join this ‘family’ and join us for a day in sky!
Any donation, however big or small, would be much appreciated to allow our club to continue operating, providing accessible gliding to all, from beginner's training to regional level competitions, while providing a community of like-minded people, improving mental and physical well-being in the current climate of Covid 19.
TESTIMONIAL
“Having received the notice of the potential closure of SGC, I wanted to convey our enormous thanks for all that Tony has experienced and received at Shenington over the past few years.
This has been devastating news for both Tony and I. Tony first became interested in gliding through my brother, who flies at Seighford Gliding Club in Staffordshire. Some years ago, he invited us to a Friends & Family Day at Seighford, where of course Tony was able to experience a short flight for the first time. We were able to visit Seighford the following year and by now Tony was completely hooked and wanted to take up gliding and join a club nearer home.
We approached one local gliding club who refused completely to even allow him into a glider! This was because of his disability. At that time Tony's problem was his lack of mobility - he didn't have Parkinson’s. Tony was absolutely devastated and so I did a very quick re-think and realised that we could approach Shenington. I emailed Carole who covered the office at that time and her speedy response was 'no problem - come on down and see what we do. Tony's disability is no problem at all - we welcome everyone'. The rest is history as they say.
BUT - what I really wanted to say was that never, ever have we encountered so many kind and caring people as we have at Shenington. Tony has always been treated with kindness, consideration and respect. His disability has never been a problem and we have had so much help which has enabled him to pursue his hobby. Because of his lack of mobility there are so many things he can't do - but gliding is something he CAN do and it has meant the absolute world to him. I really cannot adequately put into words just what it has meant to both of us for Tony to be a member. Sadly latterly Tony was also diagnosed with Parkinson’s so has not been able to fly under instruction, but the Club yet again has been as helpful as possible and been able to accommodate him - even if it is just to get into a glider and experience being able to fly again.”
from Janet
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Please note that all rewards are subject to Covid restrictions. If a reward cannot take place due to Covid restrictions or other extenuating circumstances, we will endeavour to fulfil the reward at a later date, replace it with an alternative or offer a refund as required."