Hi saw this and wondered how many of the members here would invest if it was in your own town? is anyone on here already paid up? just interested…
"BRISTOLIANS are being invited to invest in a project which would see the country’s first “surfing lake” built in Bristol.
The team behind the ambitious project has gone public with its
financial plans and is hoping to get as many people involved as possible
in the Wavegarden scheme.
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<img class="http://www.thisisbristol.co.uk/images/localpeople/ugc-images/275775/Article/images/15231920/3544373.png| " src="http://www.thisisbristol.co.uk/images/localpeople/ugc-images/275775/Article/images/15231920/3544373.png" alt="Wavegarden UK"></div>
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Wavegarden UK
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Around £6 million is needed to fund the attraction but
the two men who are driving the project are confident they can raise the
cash from local and city investors.
And according to the official documents put together to attract
investors they are also confident of eventually making profits of around
£3 million a year.
The man-made surfing lake will use technology developed in Spain
and the plan is to build several Wavegardens around the country if
Bristol proves to be a success. The Avon Gorge is one possible site for
the Bristol centre, although the location is yet to be confirmed.
Brighton has already been identified as a likely location for the next
surfing centre.
At the heart of Wavegarden is an unlikely partnership of
businessman Tobin Coles and osteopath Nick Hounsfield. Both men have a
passion for surfing and met thanks to their children attending the same
nursery.
Nick came up with the original plan and the scheme first started
to become a reality over what the pair now describe as ‘one of the most
expensive curries they have ever shared’.
Around £300,000 is needed to pay for the development process of
the scheme and for getting it through the design development and
planning process.
And once building work starts an extra £5.7 million will be needed to build the lake and surrounding gardens and facilities.
The team are looking for three different kind of investors from
city institutions, venture capital groups and finally members of the
community.
People and groups in the Bristol area can invest anything from
£1,000 in the project with the aim as getting as many people as possible
involved.
The two founders have each invested £100,000 but are confident of
raising the cash in time to start work for work to start later this
year or next spring.
Mr Coles, who has a history of creating and building up
companies, said: "We have already had an enormous response both locally
and with potential investors. What we are trying to do is something
really special and we want to get as many people as possible get
involved.
“This will be a first for the country and probably in the world. We are talking about putting Bristol on the map.”
Mr Coles said: "Our business model puts sustainability at the heart of what we are doing.
“We believe that it is entirely possible to have a business that
is not ashamed of being profitable, yet can also be inspiring and
sustainable – sustainable environmentally, economically and socially.
From the start it will be a business that stands on its own two feet
without public funding and will set a benchmark for other aspiring
projects.”
Mr Hounsfield added: "By being commercially successful we will be
able to meet our objective of being a business that makes a positive
difference.
“We have made a commitment that nine of our annual profits will
go to supporting local charities, with a further one per cent going to
the ‘One Per Cent for the Planet’. This initiative, which benefits
global environmental organisations, was set up by outdoor clothing
company, Patagonia – an organisation whose ethos is a great source of
inspiration for us.”
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