A message from our campaign chairman
Birmingham and the West Midlands is a region of makers, of kind hearts and never-quitters.
With that in mind we have developed an ambitious 3-phased development plan which will result in major improvements to our sports facilities, a core element of the holistic education we provide at the School.
Our plans are exciting and will provide the much-needed space for the people of Walsall and beyond who love sport to allow their considerable talents to grow and flourish.
At QMGS we are unafraid to do things differently, to strive for new benchmarks in creativity, inclusivity, and sustainability and to leave an indelible mark on our region. FutureSport@QMGS will address this through:
Performance
We will directly improve our sporting performance as a direct result of better facilities.
Over the next 10 years we are aiming to grow both county and national players across all sports.
Wellbeing
Through greater participation we can help more of our pupils and their families as well as our community in Walsall develop the wellbeing habits that increase resilience and promote feeling good.
Community
We will further deepen our links with our community widening access to sports facilities for those who need it most.
Thank you for joining us.
John Waters
Campaign Chairman / Old Marian
WE ARE PROUD OF OUR SPORTING ACHIEVEMENTS AT QMGS
We consistently compete against leading independent schools and colleges in rugby, hockey, and cricket. We have featured in The Cricketer magazine “Top 100” Schools Guide for the last five years.
Our achievements though, are despite our current facilities rather than because of them. If we want to excel and develop further at sport, increase participation, and support the Walsall community more we need to address these issues now.
In addition to our School challenges, Walsall and the wider Black Country suffers from a dearth of playing spaces and community centres.
We can provide a solution by making our School a community and sporting facility for all.
CRICKET
We have made great strides with cricket in recent years,
but the condition of the squares and outfield remains poor.
We desperately need drainage and levelling to help irrigate and prepare our wickets.
Currently, too many of our senior home games are played away.
“Cricket at QMGS has seen
an increase in participation and improved performance in recent years. We are now able to field 2, if not 3, strong teams per year. This project would build upon this hard work and effort and make us even better.”
Harpreet Kalia
Senior Cricket Captain
HOCKEY
We have no suitable on-site facilities for competitive hockey and currently rent pitches locally or play our fixtures away.
This short-term solution is costly in terms of hire and transport and eats into the time our students can play and teachers can coach.
“This project would be a complete game changer for QMGS. It is clear from extra-curricular participation that students and staff are passionate and keen on PE/sport. However, the current facilities are hindering that passion. The ability to host hockey fixtures along with the other impressive plans would revolutionise sport at QMGS.”
Dilraj Sohal
Senior Hockey Captain
RUGBY
Anyone who has either played on our fields or cheered our teams on from the side-lines will be aware that our pitches are frequently waterlogged and become unusable at key times of the season.
“We have had to cancel several training sessions and fixtures due to the poor drainage of the playing fields this year. This is such a shame as the numbers of students that attend training/matches is extremely impressive.
This project would make cancellations a thing of the past. It would radically improve the performance and participation of all our rugby teams.”
Jake Labram
Senior Rugby Captain
FUTURESPORT@QMGS - WHAT WE NEED
Our last significant capital campaign successfully raised over £1 million for the Collier Sixth Form Centre, which opened in 2012. Since then, we have been consistently investing in our facilities. However, we now need to ask our parents, Old Marians, and wider community to support us in this important project not just for the School but for Walsall and surrounding areas.
A 2G AstroTurf pitch for hockey, tennis, and 5-a-side football; an all-season, all-weather pitch so that the facilities can be used by the maximum amount of people: £816,557
Site drainage works across the whole field and re-setting of the cricket square to make the current available grass pitches fit for purpose: £250,000
Extend our pavilion – with access for external sports clubs, to build our links to our local sporting community and create revenue for the School to reinvest into sport: £715,333
TOTAL COST £1,781,890
As a parent at the School, I am proud to be involved in this campaign which will improve the sports facilities for the students and our local community now and for generations to come. Please join us in this important endeavour.
Deborah Bannister
Parent and Walsall Campaign Chair
GIFT AID
As an exempt charity, we can claim back the basic rate of tax you have paid on your gift,
at no extra cost to you. This means that for every £1 you give, the School can claim an extra 25p in Gift Aid from the Inland Revenue.
TAX RELIEF FOR HIGHER RATE TAXPAYERS
If you are a higher rate taxpayer, you may be entitled to claim tax relief (depending on your personal circumstance) on the difference between the basic rate of tax and the higher rates of tax.
Please contact your tax or financial advisor for further information regarding your personal circumstances.
NAMING OPPORTUNITIES
All great schools throughout the centuries have grown and flourished through the philanthropy of individuals who care about their future. A Naming Opportunity demonstrates publicly the generosity of individuals who care about the long-term aims of the School.
However, every gift to the campaign will be acknowledged and gratefully received regardless
of amount. The Mercian Trust and its board of Governors will endorse each Naming Opportunity to ensure that it is appropriate to the ethos and culture of QMGS.
THANK YOU
At Queen Mary’s Grammar School, we know we have a School that delivers excellence in sport. However, it is against the odds. We have the potential to do and achieve so much more.
We have a unique opportunity now to improve our campus by developing sporting facilities on a par with the best facilities in the Midlands, maximising our achievement in competitive sport and wider participation in sport throughout our student body and local community.
We also have a once in a lifetime opportunity to make a huge impact on the lives of people in Walsall by providing them with the sporting and physical activity space they so desperately need.
Please join us now in making a real difference for our whole community.
Quas dederis solas semper habebis opes; it is what you give that you will keep as eternal riches.
Richard Langton
Headmaster
