Following the fantastic news that our bid of £200,000 for Lot 1 – the 9.42-acre meadow and woodland between Arundel Drive and the River Frome – has been accepted we can now accept online and offline donations.
On 1 April, an informal tender was submitted by Stroud Common Wealth Community Benefit Society (SCW) on behalf of the Rodborough Fields Preservation Group (RFPG), to bring this piece of land into community ownership. Thank you to our supporters for their generous pledges, and their patience as we awaited the outcome of the bid and worked on how to collect the funds.
The team have been working hard in the background to prepare to complete the purchase smoothly and in a financially-sound way, including:
- Applying to the Charity Commission for RFPG to become a CIO (Charitable Incorporated Organisation).
- Formalising our structure by electing John Bloxsom, Julie Cigman, Neil Cathie, Gwyn Morris and Guy Welfare as RFPG trustees.
- Working on a costed three-year business plan ready for taking ownership.
With limited resources we concentrated our bid on Lot 1 at this stage, but we will seek to cooperate with the owners of Lot 2 which is protected as part of the Cotswolds National Landscape.
We are working with Stroud Common Wealth, a local community benefit society which has charitable status, who have submitted the bid on our behalf. They will initially hold the land until RFPG is registered as a charity and then transfer the land to us. We are hugely grateful for their assistance.
Donations will therefore be paid to Stroud Common Wealth Community Benefit Society. This arrangement is covered by a written agreement. If due to unforeseen circumstances the purchase is not completed donations will be returned.
We can also receive cheques payable to “Stroud Common Wealth Community Benefit Society Limited” which can be delivered to the Stroud Valleys Project shop, 8 Threadneedle Street, Stroud, GL5 1AF.
If you are donating, please consider completing a Gift Aid declaration, which can increase the value of your donations by 25% if you are a UK resident taxpayer. This could add a significant amount of additional money towards the purchase price and ongoing costs.
We still need additional donations to avoid carrying too much debt into the purchase, and cover additional costs of buying and owning the fields, so please consider donating if you are able to, and encourage your friends and neighbours to donate too.
If you need assistance to donate or have any other questions, please email info@rodboroughfields.org.uk or telephone Neil Cathie, on 07802 272035.
Rodborough Fields and Frome Banks Preservation Group
To help preserve this area of natural beauty, as a green space for wildlife and for the people of Stroud.
Offline donations
We can also receive cheques payable to:
Rodborough Fields and Frome Banks Preservation Group
which can be delivered to the Rodborough Community Hall, Butterrow West, Rodborough, Stroud GL5 3TZ
Please consider completing a Gift Aid declaration, which can increase the value of your donations by 25% if you are a UK resident taxpayer.
