Capital cost
The estimated initial capital cost of this project is £65,000, of which funding of £27,000 has been identified through the donation of the bells and fittings. This leaves a balance of £38,000 to find.
As with the existing mobile belfries, hire fees will be set to make the operation self-financing, after the initial capital costs have been met.
The Council is considering a number of options for funding the remaining cost in order to get Mobile Belfry 2.0 built and ready to play its part in marketing ringing in 2022. These include:
- Individual donations
- Sponsorship of individual bells
- Guild and association partnerships
- Central Council funds
Individual donations
The Central Council would be delighted to hear from anyone who is interested in making a donation to this project. If you would like to discuss it further please get in touch with Simon Linford president@cccbr.org.uk
Sponsorship of individual bells
Five of the six bells can be inscribed with the name of its donor, up to a certain number of characters. The other bell will carry an inscription recognising the contribution of the Loughborough Bellfoundry Trust.
Names of these sponsors will also be put on a plaque on the frame.
This sponsorship is available at a cost of £2,000
Ownership
Although the exact detail is yet to be determined, the intention is for the Mobile Belfry 2.0 to be owned and operated from a new charitable entity, probably a CIO, rather than owned by the Council. This would have a group of Trustees and a remit to develop use of this and other mobile belfries in the support of ringing throughout the UK mainland.