Mount's Bay Pilot Gig Club

Mounts Bay Pilot Gig Club are over the moon to have received a £10,000 grant from Sport England towards the costs of their new racing gig, due to be launched at the World Pilot Gig Championships in May 2011.  Intensely fundraising for the last six months, the club has forged partnerships and built bridges with Trusts, Foundations, and local businesses to get within inches of their target figure of £33,929.

West Cornwall Local Action Group, on behalf of the Rural Development Programme for England (RDPE) was an early supporter, coming through as a major boost to fundraising with a £5000 grant.  His Royal Highness the Prince of Wales Duke of Cornwall, The Co-op Community Dividend Fund, The Elmgrant Trust and Health Community Initiative have all made generous donations.  The Whirlwind Trust has promised to put the cherry on the cake by granting the last £1000.

With community at its heart, the most exciting developments for the club are the forging of new relationships with local business sponsors, and here SHB Hair and Beauty have come up trumps by embracing the gig itself through the sponsorship of the pilot seat. Mat, from SHB says, “SHB Hair and Beauty are proud to be able to support such a worthwhile local project.  We try to help a number of local concerns as much as possible and this opportunity to help Mounts Bay Gig club gives us great pleasure.  We look forward to the launch and seeing our plaque sporting its proud place on the seat we were able to sponsor.”

SHB will join ‘The Forever Crew’ of current and past members to become the eternal crew, named on brass plaques on all boat seats.  The club wishes to welcome all other local sponsors to come on board with our main sponsor Crew Clothing, including Rosemullion Homes, The Bay Restaurant, DR Building Enterprises, The Honey Pot and Keel Consultancy.

One of these sponsors, Rosemullion Homes, is preparing to launch its new development, St Michael’s Reach in Marazion which overlooks Mounts Bay in the New Year. Rosemullion Homes’ sales and marketing manager David Furzer says: “It is important for us to play an active role in the communities in which we build, and with some of our staff keen rowers themselves, sponsoring Mounts Bay Gig Club was the perfect opportunity for us to support this hugely popular local club.

Now only inches away from reaching their total, the club have only £1537 to raise, to truly hang up the fundraising oars and pick up the training set!  Ever full of innovative ideas and always looking for the win-win opportunity, the club is opening an exciting door for local business, schools and the community to join the history of the new gig by sponsoring a rib.  The ribs of the gig are the steam bent timbers that hold the boat together: individually they could not withstand the forces of the sea but together they are strong enough to cut the waters… a wonderful metaphor for the community partnership philosophy that the club has embraced.

Dave Elliott, Club Chairman comments “There will be extensive PR opportunities for local businesses as we will be hosting an annual Mounts Bay Great Rib Race, where ‘rib’ crews will race with local business people as passengers, literally flying their flags on our waters.  We welcome everyone to join us in team spirit and buy a rib – each available for £100. We are now looking at a final fundraising leg of £1537 – selling 16 ribs would hit our target and put 16 local businesses in high profile on local waters!”

If you would like to come on board as a sponsor or donor, or discuss PR opportunities, please do not hesitate to contact Helen Bowkett (Club Development Manager) on 01736 741478 or email Helen@keelconsultancy.co.uk