Charity Target £250,000 Reached

As fund-raising continues to secure a future for the Ross Revenge, it is time to acknowledge a huge debt of gratitude – to you, the listener and supporter.

With your generosity and immense good will the charity funds have just topped a remarkable £250,000.

Remarkable because a year ago, when we set about fund raising in earnest and knowing just how desperate was the need to dry-dock and repair our historic radio ship, we simply plucked this initial target figure out of thin air – and hoped for the best. We had no idea if it was achievable, and the fact that it has proved to be so is all down to you.

What we did know was that we would need to demonstrate an ability to raise significant funds before we could even consider approaching external grant-giving bodies. That’s the way it works.

We established a charity to allow us to raise money, calling it Ross Revenge (Home of Radio Caroline) and, after due scrutiny by the Charity Commission, it was formally registered. Trustees were appointed, bank accounts set up and all necessary administration dealt with. But where was the money going to come from?

A huge sum is needed to achieve our aims of renovating the 65-year-old Ross Revenge and securing its future for generations to come. We could not go to the National Lottery or any other organisation unless we could show that we had support for our cause and that we had the ability to raise funds ourselves.

Our accounts, available on the CC’s website, show that we had £171 in the bank account in our first year. Now, in Radio Caroline’s 60th anniversary year, we have £256,439 and we stand ready to make an initial application to the National Lottery.

All of this money has come from you, whether it be straightforward donations, Crowdfunder Draws or major appeals such as this weekend’s Annual Fundraiser.

Do we still need your support? Yes, we do. The money raised so far is a significant amount but we need to double and treble it to have enough to achieve our aims. As station manager Peter Moore states: “There is no real upper limit to what could be spent, so the best we can do is put the required tasks in order of priority”.

After many years at sea since being converted from deep sea fishing trawler to broadcast vessel, the Ross Revenge is now in need of a major overhaul. This can only be carried out in dry dock. This will involve being towed to a ship yard (engine and other major mechanical issues will have to wait), the hull being stripped back to bare metal, inspected and repaired as necessary, then treated and repainted. Much else needs to be carried out at the same time. This will be hugely expensive, but it is an essential first step.

You have helped us towards this first step. On a day-to-day basis we continue to do all that we can to keep the Ross Revenge afloat, thanks to our volunteers.

We can now look forward to making an approach to the National Lottery. Nothing is guaranteed. In the meantime have set a new interim target of £275,000. With the annual Fundraiser and Gift Aid money due annually in September, we remain optimistic. In the meantime, we will keep you informed with regular updates.

The Trustees.