Toc H Facilities Fundraiser

Aim

Toc H are raising funds to improve facilities for the club & the community. The aim is to have first class facilities for our return to play

Unfortunately, owing to COVID-19 it is looking increasingly likely that competitive play will not resume before the NY. Like many grassroot sports clubs this leaves Didsbury Toc H Rugby Club in a very challenging position, fighting to survive whilst unable to open the clubhouse to the community.

We are hoping to use this time to invest in our facilities. We have 3 major projects planned and are already in phase one of this investment. With the help of volunteers we have painted two of the changing rooms and we have bought 3 new signs for around the club. 

We have applied for, and hope to achieve, a match funding of up to 50% for any donations made from Sport England.

UPDATE 14/9/20

We are now halfway to our target!!! Thank you those who have already donated.

We have nearly finished painting the changing rooms and have bought new banners for the Juniors.

About the club...

We have a growing Mini & Junior section (age 4-18), 3 Senior Teams, a Ladies Team and a Vets Side. Apart from rugby we also have - a Toc H Walking Group, a Running Group and a Toc H Cricket team. 

We also run various community projects throughout the year which include a monthly Soup Kitchen, Foodbank collections, Coaching for underprivileged kids in partnership with the RFU, various fundraisers for charities and an annual community firework show.

Why is it called Toc H?

Didsbury Toc H is a club proud of its History. It was officially formed in 1924 during the First World War by two army Chaplains for respite. The Club was given the name “Talbot House - Every Man’s Club” in memory of Gilbert Talbot, the son of one of the Chaplains who was killed on the front line. Shortly after it became known simply as “Toc H”, the affectionate diminutive given by Signallers for the initials “T and H” - today it would be called “Tango Hotel”.

LOCKDOWN and the delays in returning to rugby

The summer months are usually when the Clubhouse makes the majority of its money, with Weddings and events booked in most weekends. In addition to this loss of income, we also had to postpone our End of Season Awards Dinner which is the club's biggest fundraiser. The income generated from these events allows us to keep  our doors open and to invest in the facilities. In their absence, we are seeking your  help to raise funds for the ongoing running of the club and 3 further projects to improve the club

What are we going to do with the money? 

1. Around the club

Owing to the severe floods last season the pitches were damaged and play was prevented on numerous occasions. Therefore, we need to invest some money into better pitch drainage. We are also in the process of updating the signs around the club and are hoping to cut back the tree line to create a walk route for the local community.

2. Clubhouse and Changing Rooms.

The clubhouse and changing rooms need a face lift. With the help of volunteers we are going to give both buildings a fresh lick of paint and get some of the memorabilia back up. We are also looking to open a community cafe during the week so that local residents can use the venue to keep active, enjoy the views and the Parakeets. 

3. Juniors and Ladies Rugby

Any remaining funds raised will be used to invest in the Mini‘s & Juniors. We are already in talks with the RFU re sending more coaches into local schools and looking into a 4G facility for the winter months.

Didsbury Toc H Ladies are in the Championship North 2 and are one of the Premier Ladies Rugby Teams in the North West. Despite the challenging times, we hope to continue to help with their travel costs and specialist coaching where needed.

Please help us to improve our facilities...

Thank you for reading this, we appreciate this is a huge ask for our members and the wider community during these difficult times. Any support you can give is greatly appreciated.

Below are the Toc H Face masks, as worn by Ben.

This project successfully funded on 5th October 2020