Tonight at 7 p.m., The Wave Bristol is launching a crowdfunding campaign that will allow people to buy a number of rewards, including annual membership to the surfing lake*. The campaign has been sparked by public demand and the money raised will go to the Making Waves Foundation, as well as funding some of the sustainability plans for the site. The Wave Bristol aims to build on site in 2015 and wants to encourage people of all ages, backgrounds and abilities to be outdoors, have fun and get in touch with nature. To find out more or to pledge visit www.crowdfunder.co.uk/thewavebristol.
The rewards available through the crowdfunding campaign range from a shout out on Facebook (£10) or a limited edition Finisterre t-shirt (£30), to annual family membership (£600) or a VIP company away day (£15,000). The campaign will run from the 24th November to the 22nd December and has a target of £150k.
The funds raised by the campaign will allow The Wave to fulfill some of its long-term sustainability goals earlier than planned. 2% of the money raised will go to the Making Waves Foundation – an independent Charitable Trust that has been set up to fund community projects and charities in the local area. When the site opens a percentage of annual profits will also go to the foundation and the Trustees will decide how this is distributed. Additional funds raised by the campaign will be going to push forward some of the project’s sustainability plans.
The campaign is a direct result of numerous requests from those following the project. Founder Nick Hounsfield explains:
“Right from the early days of the project people have asked whether we would be running a crowdfunding campaign and since planning has been approved we have received hundreds of emails asking whether people can pre-buy membership to the site. We want as many people as possible to be part of this project, we want to create a sense of community ownership and we want that community to help shape our plans. Given all of this, it makes absolute sense to go down the crowdfunding route for specific elements of the project.”
Talking about where the money will go, Chris Hines MBE, Head of Sustainability for The Wave, comments: “ We want this project to be sustainable in all senses, including socially and environmentally. We have ambitious plans to sustainably power the site and eventually take it off-grid. The money raised via crowdfunding will allow us to fast-forward these plans and look at putting in some of these elements at build stage. The Making Waves Foundation will support a range of community initiatives and charities, for example that may be via bursaries to allow inner-city kids to experience The Wave.
This campaign gives the community the power to back some of the elements of this project that will make a positive difference, whether that’s environmentally or socially. I think that’s really exciting.”
Talking further about investment Nick said:
Nick said: “The crowdfunding campaign is not about financing the basic build, it is about funding some specific areas of the business that we feel passionately about. There are exciting discussions taking place with potential investors regarding the bulk of the project and we are currently carrying out due diligence on a short list of options. We will be making an announcement regarding key funders as soon as we can, but suffice it to say that we are still on track to start building in 2015.”
The Wave Bristol will use cutting edge technology to generate perfect surfing waves on a lake, for both experienced surfers and beginners alike. The site in the village of Easter Compton near Junction 17 on the M5 received planning approval in June and aims to open its doors in 2015. The intention is to encourage people of all ages, backgrounds and abilities to be outdoors, have fun and get in touch with nature. It will be set in beautiful botanic gardens and will also include a high performance surfing centre, restaurant/café, a natural swimming pool, education centre and much more. To find out more visit www.the-wave.co.uk
* REWARDS – for full details of all rewards visit www.crowdfunder.co.uk/thewavebristol
· Annual Individual membership includes free access to site year round, priority booking, free hire, 10% peak time sessions, 20% discount off peak sessions, discount for bar and café and event spaces, priority invites to events and functions, T-shirt and 2 hour free surf before public opening!
· Annual Family Membership (up to 2 children) includes free access to site year round, priority booking, free hire, 10% peak time sessions, 20% discount off peak sessions, discount for bar and café and event spaces, priority invites to events and functions, T-shirts and 2 hour free surf before public opening!
· Company Promo Day offers clean unbranded site ready to hold your own event, competition, client networking day or a media/filming day pre-opening with full VIP treatment
Crowdfunding in the South West
· According to the recent ‘Understanding Alternative Finance’ report by Nesta and the University of Cambridge (published November 2014), the South West is joint first with London in having the highest numbers of people interested in investing in crowdfunding (19%)
· Project Overview
The Wave: Bristol brings together surfing, nature, education and the community. We want to make a fun but thoughtful day out for everyone. It will be set on a man-made lake close to Bristol and will use a new technology to create perfect surfing waves. Surrounding the lake will be multi-functional gardens and green space, where people of all ages, backgrounds and abilities can relax, play and learn.
At the centre of The Wave site will be a lagoon. The latest wave-making technology will generate perfect peeling waves of up to 1.8 metres high, at a rate of approx 120 waves per hour. There will be room for both experienced surfers and those trying it out for the first time. Good surfers will be able to enjoy a 20 second ride, while beginners will be able to learn to surf in a safe environment – and if you don’t want to get wet, you can simply sit on the shore with a drink or explore the rest of the activities on site.
But it’s not just about surfing. The landscaping surrounding the lake will be specifically created to provide a wonderful experience in its own right. There will be adventure gardens, healing/sensory gardens, kitchen gardens, activity trails, a natural swimming pool and much more. We instinctively know that being around water and green space is important for health and this is something we want to share. Children can play and have fun, grown-ups can relax and there will be easy access for people of all abilities. We want everyone visiting The Wave to get in touch with nature and maybe discover something new. Other elements of The Wave will include a café /restaurant, High Performance Surf Centre, education spaces, camping, changing facilities and a shop.
