Another exciting and rewarding year at PCTBC! Yes I have said that before and it is becoming a regular occurrence.
We physically completed Project Spacse last March and we now proceed to the official opening on May 6th and as luck would have it, the same date as the official opening of the clubhouse by Clive Lloyd in 1991. In addition to the original scheme and thanks to the financial support of our contractor we have also added a large Patio which has already proven very popular. This addition, added to the re-surfaced car park at the Tennis entrance, increased our overall spend to in excess of £650k. We are paying for the Patio out of revenue over ten months and that will complete in April 2011. That means we have spent ca £240k of our own money on the project, quite a staggering figure. My thanks go again to all members who have supported the scheme financially in terms of loans / donations including the soon to be completed Glass Wall; those combined efforts have helped raise over £30k and to use a word I only use occasionally FANTASTIC.
We are now faced with putting together a business plan that both consolidates our current assets and secures the future of the finest community sports club in North Manchester. When we say we support our community it is not a just a statement it is a fact. We have agreements with several local schools, the visually impaired and hard of hearing organisations and several companies use our facilities which contributes to the overall cost of running the club. To help facilitate a workable business plan we are forming a sub-group (composed of members from all the sections) that will update and put together our proposed refurbishment and capital spend over the next ten years and report back to the Management Committee and the members. (an example of a known business plan priority is the upgrading of the entrance road to the main clubhouse which we hope to do prior to next Winter).
I have already mentioned costs and they continue to rise. Utilities alone now costs the club ca £10k pa and without the efforts of Keith Mills they would be considerably more. The success of our bar is critical to our future I am delighted with the support shown by members to our new setup which allows many more separate family functions whilst members can still enjoy the facilities.
The Football Section is running successfully with four senior teams and five junior teams. I mention them as they are still in the Development stage and will require significant capital support in the future as for example they plan separate dressing room facilities on the Heys playing fields and improved playing conditions which of course will be shared with Prestwich Arts College. Obviously this will take a lot of hard work and sustainable applications for grants.
On a sad note we were burgled in September and the losses / damages that occurred will amount to ca £7k. Our insurers have refused us compensation although I am trying with our broker to verbally target their CEO in an attempt to obtain an extraneous payment. Our procedures have been significantly tightened since those dregs of society chose to target the club.
Can I again thank all the members who give up their time freely and to the benefit of the club, you can all take great joy from how your club has developed because without your help it would not have happened.
Please enjoy your club you deserve it.
Brian Lorenzini
Chairman PCTBC
January 2011
