BREAKING NEWS

As reported in the Independent on 12 January 2009 and the Bath Chronicle on 16 January 2009, the Rec Trustees have this week presented Terms to the Rugby Club's owners for remaining on the Rec with the proposed redevelopment.

We fear, with some reason, following the meetings and calls we have made, that these Terms are seen to be less than satisfactory from a property development perspective, and we will seek to explore ways to alleviate these "detriments" ("Detriments" is a Charity Commission term that effectively means any benefits beyond that which the Club currently enjoys under its current lease).

We will provide ideas for consideration that make the development more of a Project with partners that will include other sporting and cultural activities and other Community users. We believe the key is for the Rugby Club to remain on the Rec. This is important and essential for the Club's future and that of the City. The exact offer terms, we believe, are to be released shortly.

CONSTITUTION

Following some suggested amendments to the proposed Constitution, we are now seeking your approval for them. Please therefore take the time to read it here and forward any amendments to reach us no later than 13:00 on 22 January 2009. You will then be asked to approve them during the voting procedure – see below.

INAUGURAL MEETING OF THE REAL FRIENDS OF THE REC

This will take place on Thursday 29^th January at 7.30pm at Bath Golf Club, North Road, Bath. At this meeting of a new Executive Committee will be announced. A list of the Committee positions with a brief description follows together with a time-line for voting procedures. Please note that only postal and on-line voting will take place. There will not be a vote at the meeting.

In line with the Constitution Section 4, Executive Committee members shall be initially elected for the following terms:

President - Patron and Representative of the Association (1 year)

Chairman - Chairs meetings and guides the Association in line with their aims and objectives (3 years)

Membership & Deputy Chariman - Membership Recruitment (3 years)

Secretary - Responsible for the effective administration of the Association (3 years)

Treasurer - Day to day maintenance of the Association’s accounts and financial advisor (2 years)

Press Officer - Communication with all media (1 year)

Business Liaison - Recruitment of business support (1year)

IT - Responsible for the website function and all electronic communication and marketing (2 years)

Timeline

Jan 16 - Members notified of the nomination process and info on each Committee position

Jan 22 - Nominations close at 1pm Jan 24 - Online and postal voting opens Jan 29 - Online and postal voting closes at midday Nomination Procedure Nominations for these positions should be sent via email to (address removed please use site contact form) and should include the following:

1. The name, postcode and email address of the nominee who must be a registered member of the Real Friends of the Rec.

2. The names, postcodes and email addresses of a proposer and seconder for the nomination who must also be registered members of the Real Friends of the Rec.

3. The nomination should include a biography of the nominee that is a maximum of 150 words

* In addition, members will also be asked to vote for the Constitution and indicate whether they will be attending the meeting.

Agenda

• Welcome from the Bath Golf Club and The Real Friends of the Rec
• Apologies
• The Constitution
• Results of the Election for the Executive Committee
• Election of Auditors
• Chairman's Report
• Treasurer's Report
• AOB

MISSION STATEMENT

Following some suggested amendments from members the statement now reads:

“The Real Friends of the Rec are aiming to enrol as many members as possible, to ensure that the focus for the development of the Recreation Ground is for Bath Rugby to obtain the capacity and quality of structure that will enable them to remain on the Rec. We also believe that our support will help in the search for the introduction of “Partners” to ensure that the new arena is viable, and will be used for as many sports and events as possible without encroaching on Bath Rugby’s reputation as a leading club in the Northern Hemisphere.”

BATH BUSINESSES

The support from local businesses is gathering momentum. Here are some of the comments:

"The Rec is the Heart of Bath and the rugby club vital to the City's promotion" JP Auge, Owner Beaujolais Restaurant http://www.beaujolaisbath.co.uk

"Even as an 'out of town' business we will still be affected by moving Bath rugby elsewhere. We certainly trade up post game from fans travelling into Somerset's southern regions. The Mill at Rode near Frome is opposed to any plans to move rugby from the Rec." Graham Mehta, Restaurant Manager The Mill at Rode http://www.themillatrode.co.uk/

"Bath Rugby brings much needed extra business to the City during the rugby season and we believe that our members' are significantly enhanced by out of town supporters who decide to stay over the weekend. There is no doubt that other businesses in the leisure industry benefit such as restaurants, cafes and pubs as well as the retail shops. Bath would be a poorer place if the Rugby Club is forced to move out of town." Anthony O'Flaherty - Life President, Bath Independent Guest House Association http://www.bigha.co.uk/ Proprietor, Beckford House http://www.beckford-house.com/index.html

VOLUNTEERS

Help is currently required in the following areas and if you feel able to volunteer, please either email us or make yourself known to a member of the Committee at the Inaugural Meeting. i) Canvassers to assist in the retail campaign ii) Match day volunteers.

WEBSITE

Due to problems at our hosting provider our website has been intermittently unavailable over the past few days. Our provider believes that these problems are now addressed but we apologise for any inconvenience. A new version of the website will be available after the Inaugural Meeting with a much improved 'look and feel'.

NEWSLETTER

If you are having trouble accessing the Newsletter, and to prevent our emails being mistaken for spam, please add our email address to your address book and/or safe senders list. See here for instructions.