How we got here.
The campaign timeline · Updated
From the first appeal in July to a registered Community Benefit Society and a proposal to buy the Workies. This is the public record of the progress so far.
The position today: the Society is registered, the £10,000 Perthyn application has been submitted and purchase finance is under review. The building has not been bought and no funding award is announced here.
July 2026
Save the Workies launches
The independent campaign begins after the club’s closure and proposed sale. The immediate task is to show that local people will back a community future, with monthly pledges, donations and a website explaining the rescue proposal.
The first advisers and funders are contacted
The campaign reports 93 monthly supporters pledging £588 a month, alongside £491 in one-off donations. Conversations with Plunkett UK have begun, accountancy help has been offered, and approaches have been made to WCVA, Cwmpas, a solicitor, public representatives and grant bodies.
These are opening conversations, not offers of finance.
- 28–30 July
Local organisations put their support in writing
Letters arrive from Tumble RFC, the local Welsh-medium schools and Tumble Family Centre. They demonstrate demand for the building beyond ordinary bar trading.
A community ownership route takes shape
Monthly pledges reach £1,137. The proposal is for a separate Community Benefit Society to buy the building, with its own board and finances. Work starts on operating forecasts and a route combining purchase finance, community backing and later refurbishment grants.
August 2026
- Throughout August
Making the case for a community purchase
Supporters share the campaign, local businesses join the effort and Workies members are asked to hear the CBS proposal. Work continues on registration, accounts, the business plan and the information funders need.
The first £2,500 monthly milestone is reached
The campaign reaches its initial recurring-support target before the 1 September deadline, as announced in the 27 August supporter update. The work moves from proving public backing towards funding and purchase preparations.
The heritage funding conversation progresses
The Architectural Heritage Fund invites a full Project Viability Grant application. The next task is to define suitable professional work, its costs and how it would complement other funding. An invitation is not a grant award.
- Late August
Workies members back the proposal
Members vote to give the new Society the opportunity to buy the building. Purchase terms remain subject to solicitors finalising the agreement. This gives the community route a chance; it does not transfer ownership.
September 2026
The Community Benefit Society is registered
The FCA registers Tumble Workies Community Club Limited, Mutuals number 9847. The community now has a separate legal organisation through which to pursue ownership.
Registration is not approval of the purchase, the building or the finance. Read the update from that stage.
The Community Facilities Programme proposal is sent
An expression of interest is sent to Welsh Government, with the Society’s registration information. The programme is being explored as a route to larger community-facility improvements.
- Early September
More time for the purchase work
The auction is postponed from 10 September to 15 October. The Society works towards a formal purchase offer through the solicitors, alongside valuation, legal and funding checks.
A meeting with Cefin and the community
Cefin Campbell meets the campaign and local participants to discuss the Workies’ future. Tumble RFC describes the need for a headquarters for its 12 teams. Discussion covers a café/bar, flexible activity space, upstairs rooms and a venue that supports the Welsh language.
The ideas form a brief to test against the building, rather than a final design or confirmed tenancy.
A joint letter of support
A letter from Cefin Campbell, Nerys Evans and Adam Price supports the community’s acquisition and redevelopment efforts. It strengthens the evidence of public backing alongside the local organisations’ letters.
- Early to mid-September
The financial and building plans get more detailed
The former club’s three-year profit-and-loss report and debt information help inform due diligence. Revised monthly forecasts and detailed answers are supplied to WCVA, covering opening costs, staffing, VAT, trading and staged development.
Discussions with DB3 Architecture and specialist contractors develop the scope of measured, condition, asbestos, electrical, safety and access assessments. The community survey snapshot contains 328 responses.
Welsh Government acknowledges the expression of interest
The Community Facilities Programme confirms receipt. A decision on progressing to the next stage is still awaited; a capital grant has not been awarded.
The Society’s bank account application is submitted
The Co-operative Bank receives the Charity and Community Account application. It remains under review. The grant application requests Cwmpas fundholding if the account is not ready when needed.
The £10,000 Perthyn application is submitted
Following revisions with Hannah at Cwmpas, the application is emailed to the Perthyn team, copying Hannah, with four support letters. It requests professional surveys, inspections and feasibility work to help plan safe reopening.
The figures include supplier prices and estimated fees. Further information may be requested before a decision; no award has been made.
£2,743 pledged every month
The public totals show 373 monthly supporters and £2,396 in online one-off donations. Separately, Gary Watkins and Esgidiau’r Cwm have each given £100 cash for deposit when the CBS bank account opens. Both also support monthly.
The next push is £3,000 a month, on the way to the wider £5,000 goal. These are dated figures; see the current totals and support the campaign.
The funding plan, in pounds
The amounts below describe different sources and stages. They are not a pot of secured money.
- £140,000 · Proposed purchase price
- Terms supported by Workies members, subject to solicitors finalising the transaction. The Society does not yet own the building.
- £200,000 · Initial WCVA request
- £140,000 for acquisition and £60,000 for initial reopening needs. Forecasts cover essential work, opening costs and trading. The detailed allocation depends on professional findings and the finance decision.
- £100,000 · Further staged borrowing discussed
- A possible additional facility for later needs. It is not approved or assumed to be drawn in full at purchase.
- £10,000 · Perthyn grant requested
- Professional assessments and feasibility advice, not physical refurbishment. DB3’s estimated fees total £9,000 across structural/condition, measured, electrical/safety and accessibility work. Asbestos has a separate supplier price; sampling, VAT and the proposed energy-assessment fee affect the final total. The application proposes a £1,000 community contribution if needed.
- Up to £15,000 · Heritage proposal being prepared
- Heritage-sensitive planning and costed refurbishment options, with scope and eligibility still to be agreed. Work already funded elsewhere must not be claimed again.
- Monthly giving and future community shares
- Recurring donations help support the operating plan. They are not share purchases and do not themselves confer ownership. A future community share offer remains a plan, not an open offer or secured investment.
Initial reopening is only the first stage. Major roof, frontage, hall, café/bar and upstairs improvements need their own costed plans and funding. The Community Facilities Programme and other grants are being explored for that later work.
Still ahead
These are planned steps, not completed milestones.
- 16 September · Asbestos visit
- The proposed visit has been accepted and an access contact supplied. The findings will inform purchase and opening work.
- 17 September · Valuation visit
- The Red Book inspection is confirmed, with the report targeted for 25 September. The valuation and remaining paperwork support WCVA’s assessment.
- WCVA panel · Date awaited
- WCVA is reviewing the loan report. The panel must decide whether to approve finance and on what conditions.
- Purchase · Subject to finance and legal checks
- If approved, the solicitors can progress towards completion. The postponed auction date is 15 October; no completion or reopening date is promised.
- Opening and later development
- Agree essential work, insurance, licensing and the first usable spaces. Develop larger refurbishment and heritage proposals without duplicating grant-funded work.
This timeline draws on dated campaign updates, support letters, registration confirmation and application records. Individual debts and private correspondence are not published here. Where the exact day is not confirmed, a period is used.
Explore the older history of Tumble and the Workies · Read Scott’s latest update