Nail Biting Finish!

Thanks to all who came to the public meetings - about 65 on Tues and Weds and much less in the playground - but I always knew parents picking up kids would have other things on their mind.
I thought it would be a bit down-beat, delivering the message that "this may not happen". But you can never predict the great Britsih Public. There is no way people wanted to give up now and came up with lots of good ideas for finding some more money. Including, but not exclusively:

THE FINAL 40.  Hearts in our mouths, we’re appealing for 40 local heroes and heroines to save the day – by donating £1,000.  Could one of them be you?  Your kindness and generosity could transform our hopes – and enter you into an elite club with exciting privileges.  You’d secure a prestigious place in the heart of our hub – and enjoy an annual dinner to boot!

(this is giving beyond whatever was pledged last year)

Secondly, we are appealing to any local, big-hearted business:  Could you sponsor us £500 or more?  Do you know a business that might? You’d win the public gratitude of our community – and earn your caring company a plaque on the wall of the thriving centre you’ve helped to build. 

Part of the optimism and new momentum and drive for the project has been what's happened to the numbers - we were at the £110k shortfall mark for quite a while and we've suddenly dropped to just £50 or £60k to go. This has been from extra grants and more trimming of the budget and a continual trickle of donations.

We are hoping that there will be still be something out there when we start to collect in the pledges in June.

Just a word about God and faith. Its my experience that God likes to play a trust exercise with his people. So just as you cannot know if the person will catch you until you actually fall, so God does not give us all the money or resources we need until the last minute. Its his way of keeping us close to him, and it makes life much more exciting!