Club could shut if £145,000 is not found for new roof

A RUGBY club that has been operating for 127 years could close if it cannot raise the funds it needs to make its clubhouse safe.

Reading Rugby Football Club in Sonning raised about £155,000 to renovate the building but tests found asbestos in its roof, meaning another £145,000 must be found. It has raised £86,000 so far.

A leak was also discovered in the club’s kitchen before Christmas which affected the electrics and further damaged the roof, meaning the entire electric system needed replacing.

The kitchen has since been deemed unsafe while the roof of the clubhouse needs to be removed and replaced.

Hayley Flynn, whose 14-year-old daughter Lacey plays for the club, set up a fundraiser in March which has so far raised about £22,600.

Mrs Flynn said: “It’s now at the point where the repairs are critical. It must be done. The kitchen was closed off quite a while ago and certain parts of the club haven’t been used for a while for that reason.

“The work is due to start in May and it’s now the case that everything must be done as opposed to us potentially being able to do it in stages.

“We try and work around it as best as possible but there is definitely that concern that if we don’t get the repairs done, the club can’t open when it’s due to re-open in September and it will be a different situation because there won’t be funds coming into the club either.”

The club has about 950 members, including a youth section, with teams ranging from under-6s to under-18s as well as women’s teams, walking rugby and mixed-ability teams.

In the last year, the Reading Rugby Foundation has granted £52,000 to the club from its 125th anniversary project and sponsorship and partner contributions totalled £100,000.

A further £3,000 was generated from club reserves.

However, the club is now trying to raise as much as it can independently through car washing and sponsored events.

The club held a “Memorial Day” celebration on May 4 at its Holme Park ground, which included end of season presentations, a barbecue, auction, assault course and face painting.

Mrs Flynn, who lives in Stratfield Saye, near Reading, said the club is the only facility near them for her daughter to play for.

She said: “Reading as a club has such a good success rate of female players. It would be such a terrible shame if that was no longer available.

“Reading started the first women’s team in 1990 and they still have one now. There is such a broad spectrum of use for the club. We start out with the little ones who are two years old on a weekend right up to our walking rugby and our veteran rugby which is for those who are older or less mobile.

“We also offer mixed ability rugby for those who are disabled so to ensure our facilities are safe and working properly and functioning is really important, so everyone who is using the club has a safe space to do so.

“The more we can raise independently, the stronger a position we’re going to be in to carry on with the work as we need to.

“We want to achieve this figure or as close as possible to this figure so we can make sure the club is going to be there for the future.”

Andrew Beecham, a coach for the colts youth team, said he was concerned when he found out they needed to raise the funds.

He said: “It was a massive shock but the club have massively pulled together.

“Everybody is trying to do as much they can. We have got six weeks to make as much impact as we can and there is that sense of urgency. Athleticism really helps their mental health. It’s more inclusive than I’ve seen for a lot of clubs.

“We have something for everybody here. Next year, we’ve got 62 boys ready to play so it’s setting ourselves up for next year but if that doesn’t happen it would be sad. This is a great way of bringing the community together and support something we all love. This place is a big part of our lives.”

To donate, visit www.gofundme.com/f/reading-rugby-football-club-save-our-club