Pilot Climbing Gym
We decided to step back from signing the lease in July. This was due to the total funds raised being short of where we needed to be. We spent many weeks strategising how we could meet the shortfall - grant funding, events, more memberships, etc. But with the money raised from our community, we needed to ensure whatever we built was as sustainable as possible and deliver on the promise we made to you.
Most of our core team have got young kids and we stepped back in August to get the summer holidays done. But we are now regrouping and getting ready to take on the next steps with several key ideas that we are sense-checking at the moment.
Back the Project
We are currently fundraising for 25k more to build a similar-sized facility to full completion and have one year of operation covered. You can continue to back this project by buying the memberships below.
Raised So Far: £20,440
Pledged but not transferred yet: £12,120
This was the design developed for Merrets Mill location at 800sqft
Frequently Asked Questions
Here are some FAQs related to this pilot project
Why are we not using a crowdfunding platform?
Crowdfunding platforms generally charge around 5% of the total raised (£1890), plus 3% on every transaction. We think this money is better spent on making the facility better. It is a bit of an effort to do a bank transfer but you get a lot more for your money.
How do I participate or ask questions?
You can enter your details in the form above and receive instructions for payment, or please get in touch through our contact page. We are all volunteers and we may take up to 5 working days to respond.
If you have any climbing related qualifications, please get in touch through our contact page.
What's the build quality like?
The walls and facilities will be built properly - we will be following guidelines and standards set by the Association of British Climbing Walls and insured against public liability. The ply and mats will be industry standard and new. The holds will be sourced new and second-hand from a variety of sources and we are negotiating sponsored walls with several companies..
How long will this facility be open for?
The facility will run for a minimum period of 12 months but the intention will be to run it for far longer than that. The value for money becomes better for everyone the longer it runs. However, based on research we’ve done, we know that there is far more demand than we can offer capacity for right now. The phase 2 public facility is in the pipeline and we anticipate any move would be to a larger venue in or around Stroud. The membership of all founders who helped us build the pilot will transfer to the new facility at that point.
Where is it and what facility can we expect?
The location we’ve found is between Stroud and Nailsworth, near a coffee shop and brewery. Please see the video above to get a sense of the final design.
The Stroud Climbing Commons mission is to make climbing accessible to all. Getting this off the ground without commercial involvement is no mean feat. We want to start small and fast so we can have something real that people can see and use. A pilot project also enables us to demonstrate that it is viable to set up and run a community-based climbing facility, while we build credibility and energy towards our longer-term goals. We’ve found a location, have modelled the facility and devised a funding model. We are now gauging interest among the community. If enough people want to participate, we can go ahead. If not, we will learn, adapt, and try again.
