At the RAC Management Committee Meeting in December it was decided that the RAC Development Project should now be brought to a close. Our wonderful new studio has been in use since September. Already it has hosted regular day classes for writing and embroidery as well as evening meetings and rehearsals and two classical music concerts.

Meanwhile our team of volunteers have been putting the finishing touches to the studio complex. One of those touches has been the installation of the grid for stage lighting. We must thank Ian Dow and Kevin Welling who with Pat Langley have now completed a very neat installation. Well done!

We still await the final blessings from the Building Control Surveyor and the Fire Officer but, hopefully, by the time you receive this newsletter they will have been granted.

The Project has taken seven years to complete. Now that we are there I thought it would be interesting to look back and see what it all cost. I asked our Honorary Treasurer, Peter Anderson, and he brilliantly came up with all the figures:-

Made up of: -

Purchasing the Freehold £225,000: Building materials, subcontracted work and fees £113,300 Utilities & Insurance £4,850 : Capital equipment (mostly chairs and tables) £7,000: Fund raising activities £29,500

And where did the money come from?

Grants totalled £116,500 including £100,000 from Spelthorne Borough Council : RAC Funds contributed from surpluses £83,900 over the 7 year period : RAC Affiliated Societies and Individual Donations £106,300 : Gift Aid tax refunds £11,000 and finally RAC Fund raising activities contributed £57,400

We could not have achieved our objective for such a modest sum without the aid of a number of people who contributed in a different way. I refer to our consultants, including the architect and structural engineer who gave their services for free; those who gave equipment and materials and those of our members who gave their time in organising fund raising or helping with the building work.

Without any of our contributors we could not have achieved what we have today. We thank them all and hope that the fruits of their labours will be enjoyed by the local people for many years to come.

Eric Champion

Project Manager