Membership
Tri-Hards is made viable through people purchasing a Tribal membership (annually or monthly). Not only will you get a warm fuzzy feeling knowing that you're supporting something amazing, you'll also get access to regular runs, cycles and other events and activities that we put on throughout the year...
It's FREE for the first 30 days, then £5 a month
financial assistance available - just ask
Why charge?
Tri-Hards has been running since 2017 and we want it to continue to run for years and years to come. However, we're finding that as the group grows, we're having to put more and more time in to keep things ticking along. We also want to continue to find new and exciting activities to keep everyone engaged.
To date, we've re-invested the majority of money raised back into the group - this has included:
- Putting a number of our members through their run-leader course with England Athletics
- Affiliation with The Association of Running Clubs
- Kit we can use in sessions (cones, boxing gloves, agility ladders, etc)
- Insurance
- Licenses with local authorities to be able to use Woodbury Common and the beach
- Safeguarding and first-aid training
Unfortunately, operating free-of-charge isn't sustainable.
But Facebook is free, and they've got millions of users!!
True, but don't believe for one second that it's free - you do pay, but you probably don't realise it!
Unfortunately, many companies sell your data in exchange for you using their service 'for free'. We don't want to go down this route, and want to always make decisions based on what's best for the group, not what's going to generate the most revenue.
Can't you get grants?
We're working with various parties to try and secure grant funding, but it's a slow, often heavily involved, process - which takes up even more time. Plus, many of the grants require some amount of match-funding - This means that we need to put money in ourselves. If we don't charge 'something' we can't raise the match-funding
There's also the fact that grant funding will eventually run out. If we couldn't source another means of funding, this could bring Tri-Hards to a sudden end.
What about sponsors?
We are currently sponsored by a number of local businesses. We do this to generate a small amount of income and also raise the profile of said local businesses.
We could try going for larger sponsors, but this may result in us having to alter what and how we run.
So what's the solution?!?
The best solution we can come up with (based on all the points raised above) is that we use a form of crowd-funding. This is where every member contributes a small amount. If enough people help out, it means that we should be able to continue running indefinitely.
It also means that we're free to make decisions on how we operate based on what we feel is best for the group.
But aren't you going to make loads of money and then run off into the sunset?!?
Tri-Hards is a registered CIC - a Community Interest Company
What's a Community Interest Company?
A CIC is designed for social enterprises that want to use their profits and assets for the public good. We've seen the benefits Tri-Hards has made - we want this to continue!!
What if I can't afford the membership?
We've already had a number of our members come forward and say that they would be happy to cover the membership cost for someone else. If you feel that you can't afford the membership, please get in touch and we'll review your request.
On a Mission…
Tri-Hards Ladies/Gents is a non-judgemental group of like-minded people from many different walks of life, backgrounds and experiences. We’ve come together to improve our and the community’s physical and mental well-being through exercise and friendship.
The group welcomes anyone regardless of physical fitness, background, experience or age. It is our aim to support, encourage and never judge. We have a collective focus on improving the health and well being of every individual.
