Who they are
Volunteers, every one of them
The Community Hub is not staff, and it is not coaches on an extra shift. It is parents and members who give up their evenings and weekends because they want this club to be a good place to be.
They are led by Sarah Polat and Claire Brown, who plan what runs at each event and pull the team together on the day. Between them and everyone who lends a hand, they have turned club events into something families actually look forward to.
Everything they raise goes back into equipment, facilities, and keeping the cost of gymnastics down for families. It is a genuine part of how this club is funded, and it is all done for nothing.
The Cartwheel Café
Tea, cake, and somewhere to sit
The Cartwheel Café is the Hub's best known job, and it runs at every event they can staff it for. Hot drinks, cold drinks, cakes, and a place for families to sit down while they wait for the next rotation.
It sounds small. It is not. A competition day is a long one, and a cup of tea and a slice of something is the difference between enduring the day and enjoying it.
What they run
If it happens at BGC, they are behind it
Nearly every event at the club raises money, and the Hub is the reason why.
The Café
Refreshments at competitions, shows, and club nights. The mainstay, and the reason a long day is a pleasant one.
Raffles
Run at just about everything. Tickets on the door, prizes drawn on the night, and a proper cheer when a number comes up.
Tombolas
Always popular, and always hungry for prizes. Every ticket ending in a nought or a five, as tradition demands.
Competitions
Games and competitions run on the night, from guess the sweets to whatever the team has dreamed up this time.
Donations
Got something for the tombola?
The Hub is permanently on the lookout for raffle and tombola prizes, and nothing has to be lavish. An unwanted gift, a bottle, a box of chocolates, or a voucher all go straight onto the table and all get someone excited.
If you run a local business, or you could have a word with one on the club's behalf, that is worth even more. A donated prize costs the club nothing and raises money all evening.
Offer a prizeJoin the team
You do not need experience. You need an hour.
If you can pour a tea, sell a raffle ticket, carry a table, or stand behind a tombola, you can do this. There is no minimum commitment and nobody will ask you to run anything on your first go.
One event a term
Genuinely useful, and plenty of the team do exactly that. Turn up, do an hour, go home knowing you helped.
Good company
It is a sociable way to spend an event, and a fast way to get to know other families at the club.
It goes somewhere
Straight back into equipment, facilities, and keeping fees down. You can see where the evening's takings end up.