Local youth club launches fundraiser to replace ageing minibus

A youth club in Twickenham is raising money to replace its minibus so it can support members "to reach their goals."
Twickenham Brunswick Club for Young People has launched a crowdfunder to gather funds to replace its minivan, which has become "problematic" and is not ULEZ compliant.
The club is aiming to raise £6,000 with the help of the public and will contribute the remaining amount towards the cost of the new vehicle.
Founded in 1925, Colvin Docker began the Twickenham Boys' Club after wanting to form a football team.

Fast forward to today, the club runs table tennis teams from youth to veteran ages, boxing classes with elite coaches, and it is the new home of Strawberry Hill Forest School for preschool children.
The club has been operating from its current home on Clarendon Crescent since 1966 and is approaching its 100th anniversary.
Twickenham Brunswick Club Committee Member, Alia Barakzai, told Nub News how the club has tried to keep costs down for members despite funding cuts over the years.

She said: "We are probably the most reasonable rate [for memberships] in the area or in London, and we really try to do our part as members of the community to keep it affordable for people."
Although the current minivan has served the club for years, ongoing repairs, servicing, and MOT challenges mean that even small issues, such as forgetting to turn the lights off or delaying a low-level service due to other competing priorities, have "become more problematic and less advisable."
"I think [the minivan] is 20 years old. It's quite old, it's definitely on its last legs," said Barakzai.
"We get a ULEZ charge because of its age, which is why we're trying to upgrade it to something that is compliant."

Some members of the Brunswick Club often compete in national competitions, with the minibus transporting them to events across the country.
Numerous age group medals have been won at individual tournaments, with club members finishing as both winners and runners-up.
The boys' team also reached the quarter-finals at the most recent London Youth Games table tennis event.
The club's boxing programme has had its most successful year, with its first female representative winning all her contests.

In addition, Brunswick has benefitted from a new boxer/coach who competed in the Paris Olympics, as well as another club member turning professional.
So far, the Twickenham youth club has raised nearly £800 towards the new minivan, a figure Barakzai describes as "incredible."
She admitted: "The support from the community has been amazing and people are being really generous.
"We haven't had a lot of reach yet, but the people we have reached have been incredibly generous.
"It's really lovely to have that support."

The club hopes to sell it's current minivan to help offset costs so that it can secure a new minivan by the end of the month.
To support the Twickenham Brunswick Club, click here.
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