Right, then; a few people have asked what this crowdfunding malarkey is all about: what we’re trying to achieve and what’s in it for you. So here goes; first, the background…
<< Warning: Moan alert >>
Having taken on the landfill that was Miller Lakes, five years ago, we’ve invested a ****-tonne [great deal] of cash on turning the site around: clearing a gazillion dead and dying trees; laying the road and car parks; installing mains water and a treatment plant; instituting an offgrid power system (actually, we did that twice; the first iteration was spec’ed by an ill-informed, opportunistic halfwit, and lasted approximately 18 months); erecting an otter fence (then doing that again, too – after an entire run of close-board got nicked); digging, landscaping and stocking the lakes; building the pods, showers and toilets (oh, and a shop)… and on and on.
Chuck in a freak typhoon, spurious lawsuit, and a couple of rather expensive account hacks, and you’ll understand why the first couple of years were … interesting. But you know us: we never complain. Thus it is, we retained our enthusiasm right the way through to our Glamping Grand Opening, on March 20th, 2020.
All that remained, surely, was to choose the colour of the new Masserati, and book the first of many Caribbean holidays. Except… we were forced to close three days later – thanks to the Mad Bat Disease.
And, as you would expect, we were entitled to the sum total of ****-all [err…no] financial support – having spent the previous year developing the complex (meaning: no taxable earnings).
We had a whole bunch of bookings to refund too. But we battled on – negotiating additional planning consents (for more cabins, tipi’s and – most significantly – a residential lodge); and latterly creating a new riverview meadow area for larger family and corporate events. Well, I say ‘creating’…
Cue: six weeks of near-monsoons which, inevitably, flooded said meadow and the adjacent pods; precluding us from completing the necessary groundworks. And consequently from opening five of our 14 units in time for the first three bank holidays.
Laugh? Well, not so much.
Thankfully, we are reasonably ‘diversified’. The retail business is now flying, once again; so we won’t be visiting a food bank anytime soon.
What we don’t have, however, is the cash to complete the work on the Meadow; to link the Road and Moat Lake (to create one large multispecies fishery); and to build the lodge.
And, presently, banks have no interest in lending to hospitality businesses such as ours. Hence, our first foray into alternative funding; specifically, crowdfunding. Which, for the uninitiated, means:
Attracting (relatively) small sums of money, from a large number of individuals, in exchange for some form of reward.
Those rewards, in our case, range from low denomination holiday vouchers, to never-to-be-repeated fishing and holiday deals, offering £1,000s in savings.
In particular, as an armchair investor, you could get your hands on..,.
* A fishing holiday a year – for five years …
* Bargain bell tent breaks – for larger family and other get-togethers …
* Lakeside getaways …
* Winter fishing permits …
* VIP Fishing Tackle ‘Trade cards’ …
And a whole lot more.
Quid pro quo, right?
Right. So, to find out more about us, our goals for the coming years, and how you could contribute and benefit – from as little as £20 – check out:
You are welcome!
(Oh, and be sure to keep an eye open for our forthcoming prize draws – with prizes worth north of £5,000 up for grabs.)
Crowdfunding: why we’re doing it, and why you should care…
Right, then; a few people have asked what this crowdfunding malarkey is all about: what we’re trying to achieve and what’s in it for you. So here goes; first, the background…
<< Warning: Moan alert >>
Having taken on the landfill that was Miller Lakes, five years ago, we’ve invested a ****-tonne [great deal] of cash on turning the site around: clearing a gazillion dead and dying trees; laying the road and car parks; installing mains water and a treatment plant; instituting an offgrid power system (actually, we did that twice; the first iteration was spec’ed by an ill-informed, opportunistic halfwit, and lasted approximately 18 months); erecting an otter fence (then doing that again, too – after an entire run of close-board got nicked); digging, landscaping and stocking the lakes; building the pods, showers and toilets (oh, and a shop)… and on and on.
Chuck in a freak typhoon, spurious lawsuit, and a couple of rather expensive account hacks, and you’ll understand why the first couple of years were … interesting. But you know us: we never complain. Thus it is, we retained our enthusiasm right the way through to our Glamping Grand Opening, on March 20th, 2020.
All that remained, surely, was to choose the colour of the new Masserati, and book the first of many Caribbean holidays. Except… we were forced to close three days later – thanks to the Mad Bat Disease.
And, as you would expect, we were entitled to the sum total of ****-all [err…no] financial support – having spent the previous year developing the complex (meaning: no taxable earnings).
We had a whole bunch of bookings to refund too. But we battled on – negotiating additional planning consents (for more cabins, tipi’s and – most significantly – a residential lodge); and latterly creating a new riverview meadow area for larger family and corporate events. Well, I say ‘creating’…
Cue: six weeks of near-monsoons which, inevitably, flooded said meadow and the adjacent pods; precluding us from completing the necessary groundworks. And consequently from opening five of our 14 units in time for the first three bank holidays.
Laugh? Well, not so much.
Thankfully, we are reasonably ‘diversified’. The retail business is now flying, once again; so we won’t be visiting a food bank anytime soon.
What we don’t have, however, is the cash to complete the work on the Meadow; to link the Road and Moat Lake (to create one large multispecies fishery); and to build the lodge.
And, presently, banks have no interest in lending to hospitality businesses such as ours. Hence, our first foray into alternative funding; specifically, crowdfunding. Which, for the uninitiated, means:
Attracting (relatively) small sums of money, from a large number of individuals, in exchange for some form of reward.
Those rewards, in our case, range from low denomination holiday vouchers, to never-to-be-repeated fishing and holiday deals, offering £1,000s in savings.
In particular, as an armchair investor, you could get your hands on..,.
* A fishing holiday a year – for five years …
* Bargain bell tent breaks – for larger family and other get-togethers …
* Lakeside getaways …
* Winter fishing permits …
* VIP Fishing Tackle ‘Trade cards’ …
And a whole lot more.
Quid pro quo, right?
Right. So, to find out more about us, our goals for the coming years, and how you could contribute and benefit – from as little as £20 – check out:
https://www.crowdfunder.co.uk/p/rum-bridge-glamping-fishing
You are welcome!
(Oh, and be sure to keep an eye open for our forthcoming prize draws – with prizes worth north of £5,000 up for grabs.)
