Message from the Club Chairman
To all TVH members, past members and supporters
Thames Valley Harriers, founded in 1887, is already one of the UK’s top athletics clubs. Our goal is now to be the best athletics club in the UK.
And we need all of you – current members, past members, children, parents, coaches – to help make this a reality.
To explain why we need your active support, I think it’s helpful to give an outline of our current situation and what our plans are for the future.
TVH is a membership club run by and for the club members. It is our club. We elect members to carry out key roles for the club but, as members, we are all responsible for the success and growth of TVH.
It is becoming increasingly expensive for us to run the club and compete in all age groups throughout the year. We raise less than 15% of the amount we need through membership subscriptions.
In recent years, we have relied on a few generous donors to fund the club, and on a small group of volunteers who give up their time and expertise. In common with most sports clubs, we find it very hard to find new volunteers and donors.
Looking ahead, in order for the club to prosper and to help us expand our coaching set-up and meet the demand from the local community and local schools, we now need to raise £40,000 per year.
So, starting with the TVH Open Day on 16 September 2018 (have you saved the date?!), we will hold a number of fundraising events in the years ahead.
We are also inviting TVH members and supporters to support us when taking part in sponsored runs, walks, bike rides and other events. We are encouraging all club members to set a target of raising £100 each for the club – we can claim 25% Gift Aid on donations from UK taxpayers. Already, two of our fantastic young members – Alfie Turner and Charlie Rollo – have donated £2,000 from sponsorship for competing at the mini-marathon in April!
You can either donate or raise funds through our new MyDonate page.
All these fundraising options are an opportunity for all club members to contribute to the future success and growth of Thames Valley Harriers. The funds we raise will be spent on improving the most important area of the club – the coaching.
This year is the 25th anniversary of the formation of our TVH women’s team. What they have achieved since then has been phenomenal. Over the course of our history, TVH has nurtured Olympians and national champions, and we’ve enabled thousands of young people to reach their potential.
Let’s celebrate those achievements on 16 September, and then let’s build on them to make TVH the best athletics club in the UK.
Up the Valley!
Tim Dye
TVH Club Chairman
Email: chairman@thamesvalleyharriers.com