A good cause?????

lettie · 22-04-2006, 07:02

On the news last night was a report that the country's richest football club Man United are to receive a 30,000 quid lottery windfall in order to provide exercise classes for their office staff.

This money will pay for someone to provide Yoga and Aerobics sessions for their unfit office workers........

It's a travesty..... How many other good causes could benefit from this money?? Man U can more than afford to provide fitness sessions for their office workers.

I hope that the powers that be at Man U have the good sense to turn this money down or donate it to a better cause than a few fat office workers.

Neil · 22-04-2006, 07:57

You don't become the country's richest football club by giving money away or by spending your own. I agree that it appears wrong that they were granted this money in the first place.

Gayle · 22-04-2006, 08:50

I agree that it seems wrong that a club with so much money should get the funding but if they wrote a really good funding bid that hit the criteria then the lottery probably couldn't refuse them.

The funding is out there to be applied for but so few groups do that there is always money to spare. Man U probably capitalised on it. The only consolation is that it is probably providing employment for the yoga teacher so it goes back into the local economy rather than being paid to some rich footballer!

Debbie J · 22-04-2006, 09:07

The club should use the money to give underprivaliged kids the chance to play football, not some overweight unfit penpushers exercise! And I am a MU fan

Gayle · 22-04-2006, 09:10

What I don't understand is how they fit the criteria - usually these grants are only given to organisations that have a turnover of less than £500k or £1m.

SPUGGIE J · 22-04-2006, 11:20

Quote:

Originally Posted by Gayle

What I don't understand is how they fit the criteria - usually these grants are only given to organisations that have a turnover of less than £500k or £1m.

ManU could have outsourced the admin side to save money. That way the office would have a minimal turnover even if they are based at Old Trafford.

Margaret Pilkington · 22-04-2006, 12:21

I am sure that MUFC has keep fit equipment that isn't being used all of the time.......why can't their office workers be given access to this as a means of getting them moving....?
In a similar vein a group of Solicitors in Manchester have been allocated £45,000 for similar purposes....they are going to provide their workers with membership to a swish gym club.....I think this is a travesty too.....these people are eanring a living and if they want to join a gym then they should put their hands in their pockets and pay like the rest of us.
Yet a group of people in Stockport who provide food for homeless people have had their bid for a grant turned down...which group do YOU think do the most good.....the solicitors or those feeding the homeless....?

Margaret Pilkington · 22-04-2006, 12:23

Anyway there is a new lottery starting on Monday - they pledge to help the REAL good causes....MacMillan nurses, Marie curie, Cancer care and lots of other good causes......so when you are thinking of having a flutter on the lottery maybe it would be worth giving the alternative lottery a go.

Gayle · 22-04-2006, 12:31

Quote:

Originally Posted by Margaret Pilkington

I am sure that MUFC has keep fit equipment that isn't being used all of the time.......why can't their office workers be given access to this as a means of getting them moving....?
In a similar vein a group of Solicitors in Manchester have been allocated £45,000 for similar purposes....they are going to provide their workers with membership to a swish gym club.....I think this is a travesty too.....these people are eanring a living and if they want to join a gym then they should put their hands in their pockets and pay like the rest of us.
Yet a group of people in Stockport who provide food for homeless people have had their bid for a grant turned down...which group do YOU think do the most good.....the solicitors or those feeding the homeless....?

There is bit of a flaw with the whole of the funding system. Basically, if you want to get funding for anything you have to be able to fill in the (quite complicated) forms using the correct terminology and buzz words. So it is most likely that the ones who don't necessarily need the funding in that respect are also the ones who have the resources to be able to pay a professional fund bidder to fill in the forms for them thus increasing their odds of getting the money. A small charity is less likely to have someone capable of filling in the forms correctly and so may miss out.

That is why I believe that every council should have a funding officer who's role was to support local community groups in applying for all this sort of stuff. They would also be actively finding funding pots then matching up the right community groups with them.

grannyclaret · 22-04-2006, 12:54

I would rather give to proper good causes Margaret....i dont think football is a good enough cause

Margaret Pilkington · 22-04-2006, 13:43

It is really sad that the project in Stockport didn't get the money....they were on Look North and they were struggling to feed all the folk that needed their help......they said that a grant of £30,000 would be beyond their wildest dreams.
I don't do the lottery precisely because I do not believe the people who deserve the help get it.

Busman747 · 22-04-2006, 14:13

Quote:

Originally Posted by Gayle

What I don't understand is how they fit the criteria - usually these grants are only given to organisations that have a turnover of less than £500k or £1m.

The group of soliciters mentioned above by Margaret P. (Halliwells) have over 200 staff so I would suggest that their turnover is slightly above the £1,000.000 maximum Gayle?

John Hannon, of the council for Voluntary Service in Manchester said of the organizations that have secured grants:
What these people have is the money to put together a professional looking application. The National Lottery is overwhelmed with applications, so they will use the smallest excuse to reject one. An under-resourced voluntary organisation can find it hard to jump through all the hoops.

Explain that to the Monte Cassino Veterans Association who have repeatedly been turned down for a grant of just £12,000 to help fund a veterans visit to the site of one of the bloodiest battles of the second world war so that they can commemorate fallen comrades. Never mind, the vets will soon be dead - won't need the funds then, will they!

Gayle · 22-04-2006, 14:22

Well Busman it's exactly what I said. There are professional funder finders and people who know how to fill in these forms and yes, the lottery is looking for reasons to reject forms so if they're not filled in properly then they'll reject them. That's why Hyndburn needs to employ a funder finder so that they can help these groups fill in the forms properly.

Margaret Pilkington · 22-04-2006, 14:25

The Monte Cassino Vets DID finally get their bid for a grant accepted...that was on TV last night too.

Margaret Pilkington · 22-04-2006, 14:29

And one of the points that i was making in one of my earlier posts was that the grant to MUFC and the grant to the solicitors...while they might fulfil the criteria...these folk are working and earning, so they have a choice on whether to get fit or not....they do not NEED funding from a lottery grant.

Maybe you are right Gayle in thinking that each local council should have someone who can put these applications together to help the small charities to get funding.