HELP US : KEEP A (DRY) ROOF OVER OUR HEADS
Our "temporary" floor put in around 30+ years ago, is in need of urgent replacing...
To obtain partial lottery funding, we MUST raise around one thousand pounds in order to initiate a make-over & bring this lovely old building up to modern standards..
The flooring is to be ripped up, & depending on space below,possibly insulated with foil backed foam insulation which will keep heating costs (which are in part paid for with subs) down ..(floors lose considerable heat via draughts, thermal bridging etc)
Toilet demolition & renovation, making 2 small Loo's into one "super-loo" wide enough to accomodate a wheelchair with modern fittings & porcelain ....never was the phrase "spend a penny" less apt! ..this will cost a considerable sum ..Help would be appreciated from parents with expertise / knowledge & ability in various fields, whether it's a trade account at a plumbing merchants, painter & decorating skills (perhaps as an overseer) ..a mornings labour etc, to make a point clearly, without making good now we would risk losing our community HQ which is used by various groups, it's a meeting place, storage facility, sunday school, toddler group ..a place community may come together!
(needs confirming)
Our fundraising total is a little over £1000 with a further £7000 promised ..simply put, every £1 you raise or commit is actually worth another £7
A renovation now could keep our building warm(er) & dri(er) & a community hub for the next 50yrs ...long after we are gone, ..many generations of well grounded local scouting children!
So! ...Can you help?
We will be holding Cake bakes, tombola's raffles, stalls at a variety of local events, ..prizes & donations are needed as will an hour or 2 of time to provide stall cover
Do you have any ideas for fundraisers, both ideas & suggestions of places to tout our wares? ..we'd love some suggestions ..& help!
To obtain partial lottery funding, we MUST raise around one thousand pounds in order to initiate a make-over & bring this lovely old building up to modern standards..
The flooring is to be ripped up, & depending on space below,possibly insulated with foil backed foam insulation which will keep heating costs (which are in part paid for with subs) down ..(floors lose considerable heat via draughts, thermal bridging etc)
Toilet demolition & renovation, making 2 small Loo's into one "super-loo" wide enough to accomodate a wheelchair with modern fittings & porcelain ....never was the phrase "spend a penny" less apt! ..this will cost a considerable sum ..Help would be appreciated from parents with expertise / knowledge & ability in various fields, whether it's a trade account at a plumbing merchants, painter & decorating skills (perhaps as an overseer) ..a mornings labour etc, to make a point clearly, without making good now we would risk losing our community HQ which is used by various groups, it's a meeting place, storage facility, sunday school, toddler group ..a place community may come together!
(needs confirming)
Our fundraising total is a little over £1000 with a further £7000 promised ..simply put, every £1 you raise or commit is actually worth another £7
A renovation now could keep our building warm(er) & dri(er) & a community hub for the next 50yrs ...long after we are gone, ..many generations of well grounded local scouting children!
So! ...Can you help?
We will be holding Cake bakes, tombola's raffles, stalls at a variety of local events, ..prizes & donations are needed as will an hour or 2 of time to provide stall cover
Do you have any ideas for fundraisers, both ideas & suggestions of places to tout our wares? ..we'd love some suggestions ..& help!
Want to win us £250 of outdoor vouchers ?
By Web Admin...
02 /09/2012
(This post also published in our blog section)
Cotswold outdoor website runs a review competition each & every month...
All you need to do is write one or more good kit review for, tents, clothing, backpack ...well any item they sell!
You will need to make a basic email registration with them (but could cancel that later)
Then simply log on & spend a bit of time writing up on equipment you are familiar with, whether it's technical or basic! ..a panel chooses the best reviews monthly, & currently there aren't many reviews on the site! ..so definitely worth giving it a go!
Whether you won it for yourself or contributed something towards kit funds it seems a good idea to share & try & get kit that would benefit our local children.
Here's the link http://www.cotswoldoutdoor.com/review
02 /09/2012
(This post also published in our blog section)
Cotswold outdoor website runs a review competition each & every month...
All you need to do is write one or more good kit review for, tents, clothing, backpack ...well any item they sell!
You will need to make a basic email registration with them (but could cancel that later)
Then simply log on & spend a bit of time writing up on equipment you are familiar with, whether it's technical or basic! ..a panel chooses the best reviews monthly, & currently there aren't many reviews on the site! ..so definitely worth giving it a go!
Whether you won it for yourself or contributed something towards kit funds it seems a good idea to share & try & get kit that would benefit our local children.
Here's the link http://www.cotswoldoutdoor.com/review
Nominate us... (pop into waitrose & pick up a leaflet)
Waitrose (part of the John Lewis partnership) shoppers decide each month to donate around £1000 split between 3 local causes or charities!
Shoppers drop a green token into their nominated perspex charity / good cause box of their choice ..it would be super if 1st Ramsey could find it's way into either the St Ives or Huntingdon Branch ...pick up a form & recommend us (sample below).. a few nominations by parents could result achieving hundreds of pounds towards our goal overnight! ..wouldn't that be amazing!?
Shoppers drop a green token into their nominated perspex charity / good cause box of their choice ..it would be super if 1st Ramsey could find it's way into either the St Ives or Huntingdon Branch ...pick up a form & recommend us (sample below).. a few nominations by parents could result achieving hundreds of pounds towards our goal overnight! ..wouldn't that be amazing!?
Fundraising idea : (tested) & kit available should you wish to help raise funds for Ramsey scout groups future..
Parent contributed piece
(this is merely an idea currently to try & get folk to pitch in, & filling to give an idea of page use) not neccessarily "final copy" ..throughout these pages I've scattered a few bits & bobs...
By Angus Murdoch, (Izzy's Beaver now Cub) ..fat Dad.
Sorry for disjointed rambling, ..i'm not a writer by trade! but hope this may assist raising funds if a few of us get our heads together, by both planning diary dates for a fete or 3 & some parent assistance to the much needed 1st Ramsey group funding coffers..
the story..
A few years ago Julie & myself costed up decent popcorn (sold loudly) at a fete ..well you can't be shy when you' are trying to raise money or else it could be a totally wasted day!
Why did we do this?, because Izzy's school (warboys) when we made the suggestion & gave them our math(s) as to portions, ingredient costs etc scoffed & inferred they'd just prefer the cold hard cash... that smacked of a cynical free-loading entity that we've despised ever since, the times are tough right now & so even when "But it's for charidee mate" is heard it shouldn't mean you are handing over cash & asked to sign the donations tax form (worth a few bob in itself) that you should get "nothing or simple charidee tat" in return.
Charity needs to step up it's game, you need to know that the money raised most if not all of it go's dirctly to the cause rather than funding the lifestyles of their office staff ..well off charities started the "Chugger" (charity mugger) often on more than you or I with bonus incentives for achieving a "profitable punter hit rate"
Scouting is voluntary to the core, & pretty much hand to mouth existence, scant profits are ploughed back into keeping it all running & the considerable public liability insurance to name but one expense) ..to imagine how much public liability insurance for children doing outdoor activities may be, think what sort of thing Ricky Gervais would say whilst face gurning doing an impression of an insurance agent, you're probably about right with that image in your mind!
Ok, well no wonder charity is getting a bad name when folk simply want "money for nothing" & subsequently waste what they do get, ..it does no-one any favours, after all, you are giving your free time!
Subsequently we sold (at a profit) our excess popcorn bags via ebay so nothing was wasted (merely kept a few bags back for family cinema night with the projector)
Below i'll list Julie's recipe, the advantage of good quality popcorn (in other words home-made stove top caramel) is that you could prepare & seal it a few days in advance, to be honest you can do this with plain popcorn but it soon go's flat, whereas popcorn slathered (mixed) in caramel pretty much seals off air to a large degree & popcorn can be good for around5 days (though obviously not as good as made fresh that morning).
KIT WE USED FOR THE TEST DAY! .....(PROVING A POINT)
Lot's of folk buy into getting an air blown novelty duck (or similar) popcorn maker from argos or similar, so chances are that's already in your cupboard.. If not ask around & borrow one (at a push from us, though we aren't Ramsey based).
A quick trawl of supermarket comparison sites came up with Morrisons as the cheapest (at that time) for convenient 500g bags of popcorn kernels ..also known as brick packs, 500g creates a lot of popcorn but 4 bags would suffice i'd estimate for a typical summer school fete audience if you fancy a go.
You cannot be shy when trying to sell your wares, be loud, (akin to a market stall seller, which is what it is,..you wan't to sell out rather than pack up more or less what you came with).
I got up early Saturday (the morning of the fete) having scrubbed down the work surfaces & kit got started with making up popcorn & storing it in Large Lakeland (clear) foodbags ..each bag was around 1/2 the size of a binbag ((don't use binbags, ..they taint flavour & are not food safe))
Donning latex free gloves (Elf&safety) made up masses of popcorn over a 3 hr period (whilst drinking tea & listening to radio 4), ..when using a popcorn machine it pushes (well, spits out) the popcorn & hot unpopped kernels from the machine, ideally you need the mother of all glass bowls (which we have luckily)
& a large pyrex bowl to separate unpopped from popped (the unpopped kernels are separated & returned to the chamber for re-popping at the end of each measuring cup run).
I clip-sealed the bags from the outset in order to maintain freshness..(y'know, the big plastic ones from Ikea)
When the wife "deigned" to make an appearance, & we guesstimated enough popcorn was made, the super size pyrex bowl was used for mixing hot butter caramel onto the popcorn (whilst hot & sticky straight from the hot-plate, ..the only way) into our pre-purchased popcorn bags (gold medal brand with all the nice recognisable wording & stripes) we weighed the bags & contents so there was always equal ..fill quickly before it clumps).
The Lakeland food bags were then used to stack the finished product which we fold rolled the tops to remove all possible air, large cardboard boxes we'd saved from an amazon order were used to keep the popcorn out of heat & light (as well as making carrying, keeping upright easier).
Having turned up with a good amount of float money £30+ in loose change..which is needed (can all be changed back later) lest you miss a sale for the sake of a £20 note ..wanting & requiring £19.00 change (it happens ALL day, as much float as possible till it appears ridiculous, you don't wan't to send folk away once they've decided to buy perishable stuff you've slaved over).
Always always have a seemingly ridiculous amount of float at the ready, we try to keep between £35 & £55 in small change to avoid panic & embarrassment, try & prep it a few days before as dashing around several shops to change £10 notes in several places eats into your time & sanity on the day!
We had a "pretty" oblong dish that we placed kept topped up & encouraged those passing to try ..it works!
It's worth mentioning that we were at the back of a big field sun full strength on our backs all afternoon (take shade, a shirt & water bottles for hydration & to oil your larynx for all that loud selling you find yourself doing & NEVER SIT DOWN, always have one person at least up visible & apparently enthusiastic as to why they are there (take turns to rest out of view if you really need to, folk who sit whilst you appraise their wares will have far less people actually stop by & browse, peruse & purchase). ..because they look like they simply don't care & aren't enthusiastic about what they are there to sell.
So, badly positioned & with another popcorn seller at a better spot (near all the pimms, ice cream, bbq food etc) we got to it whilst cursing our table, ..no chance to change...
I kept one eye on the "competition, they had a professional fairground type yellow booth with perspex windows & a very bored looking woman sat inside the booth with pre-made plain popcorn, over the entire afternoon I think they only sold 6 portions of popcorn.
We on the other hand made a profit after the table pitch (£5) & material / ingredient costs..
nearly £100.00 profit was raised
Needless to say the school didn't get a penny, & our daughter (who though small, helped) learnt a vital lesson in both, costing, making, selling & in particular eating premium popcorn left-overs for the next week.
The best bit, it was low cost & high margin, just needed time & commitment, ..why else do you think they sell popcorn & other simple foodstuffs at local fairs & cinemas!?
Would I do it again?
You bet, ..allowing for good weather it would have been a good amount of money towards scout group funds, there are always cake stalls at fetes, but rarely are there folk selling decent home-made caramel slathered popcorn!
Here's the recipe we worked & costed to... (it would be misleading to put ingredient prices & estimated electric, use in as prices fluctuate over time).
If contemplating this in bulk (recipe below is for smaller qty's) then it's advisable to purchase the Butter as a bulk pack, Sugar & golden syrup via a wholesalers ....1st Ramsey has a wholesale account card in order to save a good deal of pennies & max out the profit/ cost ratio.
A quick trawl of supermarket comparison sites came up with Morrisons as the cheapest (at that time) for convenient 500g bags of popcorn kernels ..also known as brick packs, 500g creates a lot of popcorn but 4 bags would suffice i'd estimate for a typical summer school fete audience if you fancy a go.
You cannot be shy when trying to sell your wares, be loud, (akin to a market stall seller, which is what it is,..you wan't to sell out rather than pack up more or less what you came with).
I got up early Saturday (the morning of the fete) having scrubbed down the work surfaces & kit got started with making up popcorn & storing it in Large Lakeland (clear) foodbags ..each bag was around 1/2 the size of a binbag ((don't use binbags, ..they taint flavour & are not food safe))
Donning latex free gloves (Elf&safety) made up masses of popcorn over a 3 hr period (whilst drinking tea & listening to radio 4), ..when using a popcorn machine it pushes (well, spits out) the popcorn & hot unpopped kernels from the machine, ideally you need the mother of all glass bowls (which we have luckily)
& a large pyrex bowl to separate unpopped from popped (the unpopped kernels are separated & returned to the chamber for re-popping at the end of each measuring cup run).
I clip-sealed the bags from the outset in order to maintain freshness..(y'know, the big plastic ones from Ikea)
When the wife "deigned" to make an appearance, & we guesstimated enough popcorn was made, the super size pyrex bowl was used for mixing hot butter caramel onto the popcorn (whilst hot & sticky straight from the hot-plate, ..the only way) into our pre-purchased popcorn bags (gold medal brand with all the nice recognisable wording & stripes) we weighed the bags & contents so there was always equal ..fill quickly before it clumps).
The Lakeland food bags were then used to stack the finished product which we fold rolled the tops to remove all possible air, large cardboard boxes we'd saved from an amazon order were used to keep the popcorn out of heat & light (as well as making carrying, keeping upright easier).
Having turned up with a good amount of float money £30+ in loose change..which is needed (can all be changed back later) lest you miss a sale for the sake of a £20 note ..wanting & requiring £19.00 change (it happens ALL day, as much float as possible till it appears ridiculous, you don't wan't to send folk away once they've decided to buy perishable stuff you've slaved over).
Always always have a seemingly ridiculous amount of float at the ready, we try to keep between £35 & £55 in small change to avoid panic & embarrassment, try & prep it a few days before as dashing around several shops to change £10 notes in several places eats into your time & sanity on the day!
We had a "pretty" oblong dish that we placed kept topped up & encouraged those passing to try ..it works!
It's worth mentioning that we were at the back of a big field sun full strength on our backs all afternoon (take shade, a shirt & water bottles for hydration & to oil your larynx for all that loud selling you find yourself doing & NEVER SIT DOWN, always have one person at least up visible & apparently enthusiastic as to why they are there (take turns to rest out of view if you really need to, folk who sit whilst you appraise their wares will have far less people actually stop by & browse, peruse & purchase). ..because they look like they simply don't care & aren't enthusiastic about what they are there to sell.
So, badly positioned & with another popcorn seller at a better spot (near all the pimms, ice cream, bbq food etc) we got to it whilst cursing our table, ..no chance to change...
I kept one eye on the "competition, they had a professional fairground type yellow booth with perspex windows & a very bored looking woman sat inside the booth with pre-made plain popcorn, over the entire afternoon I think they only sold 6 portions of popcorn.
We on the other hand made a profit after the table pitch (£5) & material / ingredient costs..
nearly £100.00 profit was raised
Needless to say the school didn't get a penny, & our daughter (who though small, helped) learnt a vital lesson in both, costing, making, selling & in particular eating premium popcorn left-overs for the next week.
The best bit, it was low cost & high margin, just needed time & commitment, ..why else do you think they sell popcorn & other simple foodstuffs at local fairs & cinemas!?
Would I do it again?
You bet, ..allowing for good weather it would have been a good amount of money towards scout group funds, there are always cake stalls at fetes, but rarely are there folk selling decent home-made caramel slathered popcorn!
Here's the recipe we worked & costed to... (it would be misleading to put ingredient prices & estimated electric, use in as prices fluctuate over time).
If contemplating this in bulk (recipe below is for smaller qty's) then it's advisable to purchase the Butter as a bulk pack, Sugar & golden syrup via a wholesalers ....1st Ramsey has a wholesale account card in order to save a good deal of pennies & max out the profit/ cost ratio.
Julie’s Old fashioned style Caramel Popcorn
Preparation time :
5 minutes
Cooking time :
15 minutes
Total time :
20 minutes
AIR POPPING!
200g Pre-popped Popcorn Maize
125g Butter, diced
150g Caster sugar
2 tbsp Tate & Lyle maple flavour golden syrup
Options...
Vanilla essence is a nice touch (for home) 2 tsp should suffice.
You can also use Honey, plain Golden Syrup, other similar syrups, however Tate & Lyle is a familiar brand often used for cinema pop-corn flavouring.
It, (T&L G / Syrup) gives consistent texture useful when coating a batch of popcorn.
WARNING. WHEN COATING POPCORN BE EXTREMELY CAREFUL NOT TO GET HOT LIQUID CARAMEL ONTO BARE SKIN WHICH CAN CAUSE SEVERE BURNS
..USE GOOD QUALITY HEAT RESISTANT SPATULAS FOR MIXING IN A LARGE BOWL, LARGER THE BETTER, MIX WELL UNTIL COOLING AVOIDING EXCESSIVE CLUMPING
(Clumps are nice “flavour test” treats).
Method
1. Quickly wipe the inside of the pan with kitchen paper then add the butter, sugar and Tate & Lyle maple flavour syrup / honey. Cook gently, stirring until the sugar dissolves. Bring to the boil and bubble rapidly, without stirring, for 4-5 minutes, until caramel coloured. ..leaving longer will darken the coating nicely, (darkened caramel) ..keep the caramel moving so it doesn't burn !
2. Add the caramel to popped corn by a slow controlled trickle, stirring until thoroughly & evenly coated. Allow brief cooling period, measure portions & bag via an aluminium scoop (or similar) into popcorn bags.
3. You may wish to weigh portions to ensure consistency.
5 minutes
Cooking time :
15 minutes
Total time :
20 minutes
AIR POPPING!
200g Pre-popped Popcorn Maize
125g Butter, diced
150g Caster sugar
2 tbsp Tate & Lyle maple flavour golden syrup
Options...
Vanilla essence is a nice touch (for home) 2 tsp should suffice.
You can also use Honey, plain Golden Syrup, other similar syrups, however Tate & Lyle is a familiar brand often used for cinema pop-corn flavouring.
It, (T&L G / Syrup) gives consistent texture useful when coating a batch of popcorn.
WARNING. WHEN COATING POPCORN BE EXTREMELY CAREFUL NOT TO GET HOT LIQUID CARAMEL ONTO BARE SKIN WHICH CAN CAUSE SEVERE BURNS
..USE GOOD QUALITY HEAT RESISTANT SPATULAS FOR MIXING IN A LARGE BOWL, LARGER THE BETTER, MIX WELL UNTIL COOLING AVOIDING EXCESSIVE CLUMPING
(Clumps are nice “flavour test” treats).
Method
1. Quickly wipe the inside of the pan with kitchen paper then add the butter, sugar and Tate & Lyle maple flavour syrup / honey. Cook gently, stirring until the sugar dissolves. Bring to the boil and bubble rapidly, without stirring, for 4-5 minutes, until caramel coloured. ..leaving longer will darken the coating nicely, (darkened caramel) ..keep the caramel moving so it doesn't burn !
2. Add the caramel to popped corn by a slow controlled trickle, stirring until thoroughly & evenly coated. Allow brief cooling period, measure portions & bag via an aluminium scoop (or similar) into popcorn bags.
3. You may wish to weigh portions to ensure consistency.
Cook's tips
If you're planning to make the popcorn more than a few hours ahead, store it in an airtight box / food bags to ensure it stays crunchy. Large food-bags available from Lakeland.
If you are using 400gm of popcorn maize, you will need TWICE the quantity of butter, sugar, & flavouring for the toffee, as caramel proportions need to match consistently with the amount of maize you pop.
for a typical fete scenario we make up 2000g or more or more ,unpopped kernels on a domestic popcorn machine giving it a few opportunities to have a rest ..just in case!
NB. We were selling at £1.00 per portion, based on coins in pockets, (pocket money spending) we recommend the distinctive "gold medal bags based on portion control, professional look, stability, (they store & stand upright well) & extra bags sell well on ebay based on selling as pre-counted amounts can go through the 25mm large letter option when being posted, sales were helped considerably against other sellers by including the recipe above..
I kept a few bags back & will add the bag size later (they sell many different options)
It's a "swizz" to sell anything in a tapered cone which appears full & generous (at the top) but quickly go's to nothing as it tapers off! ..also doesn't allow for making & portioning beforehand as there's no way to stand it up, (clingfilm over a top is rubbish, & additional work + material purchase)
Offer a good portion of a good product at a good price! ..a lot of teens who appear as a group may well only walk away with one bag between them, if it's good (which it will be) there's every chance they'll come back for 2 or 3 more bags ..encourage EVERYONE to try a sample or two, ..we tend to be very reluctant (shy) to take a sliver of a freebie, ...but when they enjoy it it's usually verbal, thus giving others the confidence to buy a portion (or two).
...Now that we've looked at this, don't get me started on the price of a bucket of candyfloss!
If you're planning to make the popcorn more than a few hours ahead, store it in an airtight box / food bags to ensure it stays crunchy. Large food-bags available from Lakeland.
If you are using 400gm of popcorn maize, you will need TWICE the quantity of butter, sugar, & flavouring for the toffee, as caramel proportions need to match consistently with the amount of maize you pop.
for a typical fete scenario we make up 2000g or more or more ,unpopped kernels on a domestic popcorn machine giving it a few opportunities to have a rest ..just in case!
NB. We were selling at £1.00 per portion, based on coins in pockets, (pocket money spending) we recommend the distinctive "gold medal bags based on portion control, professional look, stability, (they store & stand upright well) & extra bags sell well on ebay based on selling as pre-counted amounts can go through the 25mm large letter option when being posted, sales were helped considerably against other sellers by including the recipe above..
I kept a few bags back & will add the bag size later (they sell many different options)
It's a "swizz" to sell anything in a tapered cone which appears full & generous (at the top) but quickly go's to nothing as it tapers off! ..also doesn't allow for making & portioning beforehand as there's no way to stand it up, (clingfilm over a top is rubbish, & additional work + material purchase)
Offer a good portion of a good product at a good price! ..a lot of teens who appear as a group may well only walk away with one bag between them, if it's good (which it will be) there's every chance they'll come back for 2 or 3 more bags ..encourage EVERYONE to try a sample or two, ..we tend to be very reluctant (shy) to take a sliver of a freebie, ...but when they enjoy it it's usually verbal, thus giving others the confidence to buy a portion (or two).
...Now that we've looked at this, don't get me started on the price of a bucket of candyfloss!