back to news Car wash for funds The car wash was organised on Saturday 2nd February at the Scouts Hut, Lode Lane, Solihull by one of the team members, Rob Scott and his mother Wendy. Dancers and their parents participated in the car wash which raised £350 for the teams. Despite the cold weather, we washed lots of very dirty cars 4x4s and even vans! At £4 each it was a bargain with many customers paying much more. The day also had the added benefit of increasing team spirit and everyone went home having worked hard knowing they had made a significant contribution. The Encore/Dance Warehouse Formation Teams are based in Solihull and are comprised of Children from the Birmingham and Warwickshire area. The subscriptions are kept low to encourage young persons from all backgrounds to participate. Reliance is therefore placed on fund raising events to enable the teams to compete at National level. For the last few years, two teams have been entered at the Junior British Championships at Blackpool in April and have been regular finalists. In general it has cost between £8-10,000 per annum for the costumes, lessons etc which has been funded 30% by subscription and 70% by fund raising. In April 2007, the Encore Chicago team won the British Junior Formation Championship and as most of the team members were 15/16 the team then entered the Closed British Formation Championship in November 2007 and again won. As a result of this success they were then asked to represent the UK in the World Championships in Bremerhaven in December. The team did not progress past the first round but it was a great experience for this young team who are now determined to work hard to compete on the World stage. Funding Strategy To compete at this level the teams are having to review the funding strategy. Two junior teams are being trained to compete at Blackpool in the British Championships in April in addition to the Chicago team who will potentially be competing in four competitions this year :- Open British Championship – May 2008 – Blackpool European Championship – May 2008 – Bochum, Germany Closed British Championship – November 2008 – Blackpool World Championship – December 2008 – Austria The expenses for the teams, including travel and accomodation, have more than doubled. We are therefore looking for sponsors for the team to provide funding and also seeking different ways to raise finance. Fund raising events so far have included a race evening, a bag pack, sale of DVDs and more recently a car wash. A fund raising ball with a celebrity demonstration is planned for March and further car washes are planned. If you would like to consider sponsoring the teams for 2008 please do not hesitate to contact Andy Harries on andy.harries@blueyonder.co.uk or telephone number 0121-709-2116 or 07785-241417