The latest update from Robert Pleming was released yesterday, and the call for funds is certainly out there, but the Vulcan needs a lot more money coming in before the end of the year - another £140,000 to be exact.
There is lots of bickering around forums about bad management, and why the public should be funding this project, but the fact is the money is needed, sponsorship is not coming in to cover the costs, and if we all want to see the Vulcan making fantastic noises like this...
...then we all need to chip in, and hope that she makes it, for her 50th Birthday, what a travesty if she doesn't make it into the skies next year. Thanks to scarey1989 from youtube for allowing me to use that one!
Anyway, here's the update:
XH558's 50th Birthday Appeal - Update Monday 30th November.
As I write, the 50th Birthday Appeal has made significant progress in the last week, with our total now standing at nearly £60,000 against the target of £200,000 needed by the end of December.
This figure allows us breathing space until the end of January, but at the moment still does not allow us the confidence to commit vital engineering works to the aircraft. In cash terms, we must have sight of £200,000 by the first week of January, and be confident of further on-going donations via the Appeal to ensure the project has a future.
We must all keep pushing XH558’s 50th Birthday Appeal in every way possible to as wide an audience as we can reach. As the result, we have decided that we should gain a significant return by investing a small proportion of the donations received so far in promoting the Appeal in regions where XH558 appeared this season.
Bear in mind that if we fail to reach our monthly targets, we will be unable to undertake the 2010 season, and so there would be little point in bearing the expense of keeping the team together.
Decisions would then start to get very tough, because the Trustees would almost certainly conclude that the Trust was in a position where it could not continue to trade. Whilst the primary goal of the Trust is to ensure that XH558 is conserved in perpetuity, an administrator would have different objectives; matters would rapidly be taken out of our hands.
This would be a tragedy for XH558, for and for the many thousands of dedicated supporters all involved in the day to day running of the project, all the employees, engineers, ground crew, aircrew.
Worse though would be the millions of people out there who will then miss seeing the aircraft because it will all be too late. I would like to quote you this recently posted statement by a Club Volunteer, Jane Thomas:
"The excitement of people waiting to see her at shows is palpable, the searching eyes for the first glimpse, the rise in excitement as she appears as a dot in the distance and the awe and respect with which people stand and watch as she steals the show! For a few more years we have something very special and I for one will do everything I can to make sure we have those years."
Like Jane, we can all play our own small part in making the dream continue. Let us all hope for more good news in the weeks ahead.
Kind Regards,
Robert Pleming
Chief Executive
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