Getting here
May 8th 2018
So, it was a longed for occasion at the Forest Row Parish Council meeting. After six years of talking, planning and argument, it was time to vote for the start of the build that will be the new 'Venue' on Foresters Green, Forest Row.
The board of FRYACC, the company which grew the dream and pledged to realise it six years ago, plus a small interested group of residents sat. And waited.
It was a particularly poignant moment because three months before, they were told that there wasn't enough money for the build.
November 2011
It’s probably just as well that the four founding directors of this little enterprise had no idea what they were getting themselves into! But with a combined age of over 240yrs and all retirees, they brought life experience and expertise to the table. They shared the vision of a village which looked out for its children and intended to support working parents whose time was at a premium.
They also had time to give.
With nothing but a bank account in place, the first few months were spent setting up a company structure and a charity for which they had to show an income.
The first forays into fundraising consisted of a couple of pub quizzes and a cupcake stall at the village market, neither of which raised a significant sum of money. But, with a few early donations, enough was raised to gain charitable status. And it was round about this time that the idea of a charity shop was considered. For nearly six months, letters emails and phone calls were made to the leaseholder BetFred on a regular basis until they finally agreed to offer the space until the lease was let.
However, in the late spring of 2012 it was obvious that the build cost of the initial plans were unsustainable. The build alone was just short of £1m, the total project cost stood at £1.2m and proposed running cost at £37,000 pa.
Phone calls to potential funders drew the same replies. Money of this magnitude was just not possible post 2008. Funders said they were deluged by applications and available monies were over stretched.
The Board realised a new format was necessary. The installation was divided into four parts so that requested funds were affordable and village residents could see that the charity was making small, if slow, progress.
The Green Gym, renovated and enlarged skatepark were duly paid for, installed and open for use.
Over that summer, it was a delight to see Foresters Green become a space for families to congregate. They came with rugs and picnics while their children played. This proved there was a need for a social space in the centre of the village.
November 2012
The charity shop opened on November 24th – a Sunday opening to encourage residents to come on their day off. It had taken two weeks to get the space ready and we were not disappointed. Prior to the opening day we had done a cash flow forecast to calculate when we would be in profit based on takings of £50, £100, & £150 per day. £150 per day? Never!
And we were right. With the exception of a mere handful of cold, dark rainy winter days, over the next 21/2 years the shop never took less than £150 a day. Donations flooded in – up to 30 bags each day- and customers from far and wide made use of the best kind of recycling! Having found a solid sliver tankard at the bottom of a box of bits and pieces, we wished for and received specialist help from experts who helped us realistically price the more valuable objects.
By this time the FRYACC board had expanded to eight members. We needed a younger demographic, experts with social media and, as we endeavoured to get a build plan that was achievable, a builder, all of whom played to their strengths and FRYACC became a well oiled machine! And if the receipts from the shop weren’t enough, schools, businesses and private donors showered us with money. Hard work and a huge commitment though this was, it couldn’t have been clearer that the village were right there behind us determined to see the project come true.
It amazed us though that, when we heard we had lost the shop in the spring of 2016, so few customers had noticed the ‘To Let’ board above the door. Village residents and businesses were vociferously angry. There was nothing we could do. On 2nd July, with heavy hearts our little emporium closed and our income stream was cut.
Now, in a state of limbo we could only but wait and watch as the Venue Implementation Group & the Parish Council continued their deliberations..
February 2018
When we found out the reality of the new build costings this year, the shock we felt was palpable.
But we picked ourselves up and, nothing daunted, FRYACC spent the following eight weeks applying for funding.
Major funders, Charitable Trusts and local recognition rewarded the achievements of this little charity with a further £122,500 worth of support and, added the £300,000 raised in the early years, this has made possible the dream we had six years ago.
May 8th 2018
The vital FRPC vote on 8th May was carried comfortably. There was hearty applause and cheering! And now, once the builder is chosen from the two tenders, the work can begin.
This summer. Yes. Really!
This has been a long, hard road and there are still a few, a very few, small voices unconvinced by this project.
However, remember that William Wordsworth once said: 'The Child is Father of the Man'
The Youth of Forest Row deserve their own safe, social space.
After all, this generation may be unable to buy a house in this village.
So the least we can do is to give them an enriched childhood.
Monica Brown
Chair FRYACC