Taoiseach’s Mayo village cycling club hits jackpot with Lottery grant

mugsymugsy · 11-09-2017 03:11PM

spyderski wrote: »

For the avoidance of doubt, I'll restate my support for whatever funding can be given to Cycling clubs - indeed, my own club is in the process of applying for funding.

Where my difficulty arose initially was that Islandeady CC clearly did not qualify for funding from the source it was received, and on top of that has not as yet spent the money for its stated purpose.

My concern is further heightened having just discovered they are seeking more money to spend on the same project, with no apparent oversight or accountability.

100℅ agree with this.
I would also like them to clarify their charity/non profit status.

greenspurs · 11-09-2017 03:12PM

Is there anywhere people can complain/object to this? Minister for Sport ? Lottery etc ??

Have we any links for these accusations? re. charging for the classes etc?

OleRodrigo · 11-09-2017 03:13PM

spyderski wrote: »

You're completely missing the point. THE MONEY IS NOT BEING USED FOR ITS STATED PURPOSE.

They are trying to raise further money for something they've already been given €20k for and have not spent. They are also representing themselves to potential donors as a "charity/nonprofit". They're skirting the borders of fraud and misrepresentation at the moment.

This isn't Enron. A cycling club can be actively engaged in running events of which the proceeds are given to a charity, with no intention of generating a profit.

That's not the same things as a charity organisation, as a legal entity. So they are not misrepresenting themselves by saying they are cycling club ( as defined by CI ) , with no intention of making a profit, or by having the intention to run events, with the proceeds going to charity.

spyderski · 11-09-2017 03:15PM

You appear to be unwilling or unable to understand my point. I can't help with either.

OleRodrigo · 11-09-2017 03:18PM

spyderski wrote: »

You appear to be unwilling or unable to understand my point. I can't help with either.

I understand it perfectly.

spyderski · 11-09-2017 03:22PM

greenspurs wrote: »

Is there anywhere people can complain/object to this? Minister for Sport ? Lottery etc ??

Have we any links for these accusations? re. charging for the classes etc?

From their Facebook Page:

Islandeady Cycling Group
February 12 · Castlebar ·
Reminder New series of Spinning Classes starting tomorrow MONDAY 13TH FEB at 7.30pm with new instructor Mark Quigley. You don't want to miss out !
Places are limited SO FIRST COME/PAY First served.
Please come early to register and Pay
€60 for 12 classes over 6 weeks.
€30 for 6 classes over 6 weeks
Beginners & Non-Members welcome contact Keith or Ray to book your place now! As places are filling up fast!
Please bring - water bottles - turbo frame and front riser - hand towel - bike and plenty of energy - FIRST COME FIRST SERVED - DONT MISS OUT!

spyderski · 11-09-2017 03:25PM

also....

January 3
Reminder our 2017 Spinning Classes start TONIGHT Tuesday at 7.30pm with instructor Ray Moylette. Places are limited SO FIRST COME/PAY First served. Please come early to register and Pay - €60 for 12 classes over 6 weeks.
€30 for 6 classes over 6 weeks
Beginners & Non-Members welcome contact Keith or Ray to book your place now!
Please bring - water bottles - turbo frame and front riser - hand towel - bike and plenty of energy - FIRST COME FIRST SERVED - DONT MISS OUT

mugsymugsy · 11-09-2017 03:27PM

You won't need to bring your turbo frame anymore as the department of health gave them 20k for spin bikes.......

spyderski · 11-09-2017 03:27PM

you'd think....

terrydel · 11-09-2017 03:59PM

OleRodrigo wrote: »

This isn't Enron. A cycling club can be actively engaged in running events of which the proceeds are given to a charity, with no intention of generating a profit.

That's not the same things as a charity organisation, as a legal entity. So they are not misrepresenting themselves by saying they are cycling club ( as defined by CI ) , with no intention of making a profit, or by having the intention to run events, with the proceeds going to charity.

Spyderski said that his issue is with the cycling club representing itself to potential donors as a charity, which is fraudulent behaviour if they are not a registered charity.
He didnt say anything about them mispresenting themselves as a cycling club.
They got 20k of state funding and apparently havent spent it on what it was intended for. If that doesnt bother you, you clearly vote FF or FG.

benneca1 · 11-09-2017 04:03PM

Spyderski You are trying to generate controversy for the sake of it. You don't know if it is for the same purpose as the previous one or not. These look like bikes for folk with disabilities and hand cycles. For God's sake if anyone is in enough of a bind to need one of these good luck with the fund raising.

Chuchote · 11-09-2017 04:15PM

benneca1 wrote: »

Spyderski You are trying to generate controversy for the sake of it. You don't know if it is for the same purpose as the previous one or not. These look like bikes for folk with disabilities and hand cycles. For God's sake if anyone is in enough of a bind to need one of these good luck with the fund raising.

These Wahoo Kikrs don't seem to be for disabled people? Haven't really been following this, but…

spyderski · 11-09-2017 04:15PM

benneca1 wrote: »

Spyderski You are trying to generate controversy for the sake of it. You don't know if it is for the same purpose as the previous one or not. These look like bikes for folk with disabilities and hand cycles. For God's sake if anyone is in enough of a bind to need one of these good luck with the fund raising.

No, I'm not. I came back to this thread to follow up as to when the €20k which was wrongly granted to the club was going to be spent for its intended purpose. When I did a google search to see if they had, I found that they're trying to raise another €40k from private donors for the same equipment.

Some of the funds are to be allocated to the purchase of hand cycles. However, the majority is to buy high end smart trainers, and associated electronics which are designed for committed athletes.

You seem to be trying to dismiss obvious and legitimate concerns about governance for the sake of it.

greenspurs · 11-09-2017 04:18PM

benneca1 wrote: »

Spyderski You are trying to generate controversy for the sake of it. You don't know if it is for the same purpose as the previous one or not. These look like bikes for folk with disabilities and hand cycles. For God's sake if anyone is in enough of a bind to need one of these good luck with the fund raising.

This is what they claim they are trying to raise money for with the US/Mayo fundraising :
The following costs are attributed to the project:
SMART trainers Wahoo kickr 10 $1,400.00 $14,000.00
Training mats Safety mats 10 $65.00 $650.00
Presentation unit SMART TVs - stands -cables 10 $1,180.00 $11,800.00
Storage unit Heated storage unit 1 $3,200.00 $3,200.00
Bikes for disability Specialised fitted bikes 10 $1,180.00 $11,800.00
Additional disability Equipment Hand cycles 10 $750.00 $7,500.00
Total cost $48,950.00

As Spyderski has stated a few times , they have already recieved a grant for 20,000 for the same items ..
But they havent bought them.... THAT is the problem....

terrydel · 11-09-2017 04:22PM

spyderski wrote: »

No, I'm not. I came back to this thread to follow up as to when the €20k which was wrongly granted to the club was going to be spent for its intended purpose. When I did a google search to see if they had, I found that they're trying to raise another €40k from private donors for the same equipment.

Some of the funds are to be allocated to the purchase of hand cycles. However, the majority is to buy high end smart trainers, and associated electronics which are designed for committed athletes.

You seem to be trying to dismiss obvious and legitimate concerns about governance for the sake of it.

Thats Ireland for you, very few give a **** and thats why this behaviour is rife across all walks of life and all sections of society.
Wouldnt surprise me at all if the 20k was needed for something else and a nudge and a wink here told them they'd get it via the means that they did.
When its spent on its intended purpose i'll admit I'm wrong but wont be holding my breath.

mugsymugsy · 11-09-2017 04:26PM

terrydel wrote: »

Thats Ireland for you, very few give a **** and thats why this behaviour is rife across all walks of life and all sections of society.
Wouldnt surprise me at all if the 20k was needed for something else and a nudge and a wink here told them they'd get it via the means that they did.
When its spent on its intended purpose i'll admit I'm wrong but wont be holding my breath.

I would be delighted if this equipment was purchased by the government /department of health or whatever bucket off money and put in a community hall / leisure centre and used by variety of groups and open cycling to a wider audience for a nominal fee.

MayoAreMagic · 11-09-2017 05:33PM

Weepsie wrote: »

Particularly when it's on record that they charged for the spinning classes....

In fairness, why would they not charge for the spinning classes though? Do many places you know off offer such services for free? I don't know of any to be honest about it.

Requests for an explanation of their spending is reasonable, but people should be careful that they aren't crying foul when unrealistic expectations are not met. Every club out there is out to fundraise as best they can, because that is how clubs stay afloat.

Maybe Im missing something, but someone posted a list of spending that would be around 50k. If they got 20k, then surely they cant spend it yet because they need to fundraise more money to do so?

spyderski · 11-09-2017 05:43PM

MayoAreMagic wrote: »

Maybe Im missing something, but someone posted a list of spending that would be around 50k. If they got 20k, then surely they cant spend it yet because they need to fundraise more money to do so?

The €20k was granted based on pro-forma invoices supplied for €25k of Spin bikes, the balance of which was to be raised by the club. I have all the details from the FOI I did in December. Under the terms of the Dept of Health funding, the €20k has to be spent by the end of the financial year it's paid. It was paid last November.

This "new" $50k is earmarked to be spent on Wahoo Kickr Smart trainers, Smart Tv's and hand cycles. This is completely separate to the spin bike purchase, and is being raised from private donations in the USA.

I have no problem with them raising money however they see fit (as long as they're not misreprenting themselves), but not when they've already been given €20k that they haven't spent, money which was given to them for a very similar purpose.

spyderski · 11-09-2017 05:45PM

As regards charging for the spin classes, I don't have a problem with that per se, but if the grant has not been spent on the spin bikes, what are they doing with the money? Seems to be all income and no expenditure....

MayoAreMagic · 11-09-2017 05:45PM

spyderski wrote: »

The €20k was granted based on pro-forma invoices supplied for €25k of Spin bikes, the balance of which was to be raised by the club. I have all the details from the FOI I did in December. Under the terms of the Dept of Health funding, the €20k has to be spent by the end of the financial year it's paid. It was paid last November.

This "new" $50k is earmarked to be spent on Wahoo Kickr Smart trainers, Smart Tv's and hand cycles. This is completely separate to the spin bike purchase, and is being raised from private donations in the USA.

I have no problem with them raising money however they see fit (as long as they're not misreprenting themselves), but not when they've already been given €20k that they haven't spent, money which was given to them for a very similar purpose.

Would the advertisement of spinning classes not suggest that they did spend it though?

spyderski · 11-09-2017 05:49PM

If you read up a bit in the thread all will be explained. They were running spinning classes for members who were required to bring their own bikes and turbos. The spin bikes do not appear to have been purchased. Turbos and spin bikes are 2 different things. The grant was given specifically for the purchase of spin bikes.

They do now appear to be also trying to buy high end turbo trainers using another source of funding.

This cottage must be a fair size to accommodate all this equipment & people.

MayoAreMagic · 11-09-2017 06:01PM

spyderski wrote: »

If you read up a bit in the thread all will be explained. They were running spinning classes for members who were required to bring their own bikes and turbos. The spin bikes do not appear to have been purchased. Turbos and spin bikes are 2 different things. The grant was given specifically for the purchase of spin bikes.

They do now appear to be also trying to buy high end turbo trainers using another source of funding.

This cottage must be a fair size to accommodate all this equipment & people.

But there is no mention of bringing their own bikes and turbos in the ad that was posted here - wouldn't that suggest that they were in fact bought?

Im just wondering if there is anything suggesting that the money hasn't been used exactly as was intended, and that this is now the next step in the development for the club and is completely legitimate? There doesn't seem to be in fairness. Like I would have thought that that would be a fairly important bit of info for people to be getting ticked off about it.

spyderski · 11-09-2017 06:07PM

MayoAreMagic wrote: »

But there is no mention of bringing their own bikes and turbos in the ad that was posted here - wouldn't that suggest that they were in fact bought?

Im just wondering if there is anything suggesting that the money hasn't been used exactly as was intended, and that this is now the next step in the development for the club and is completely legitimate? There doesn't seem to be in fairness. Like I would have thought that that would be a fairly important bit of info for people to be getting ticked off about it.

The ad I posted said "Please bring - water bottles - turbo frame and front riser - hand towel - bike and plenty of energy - "

There are also pictures of members on turbo trainers. Maybe they have bought the spin bikes and are hiding them in a shed or something, but there's no evidence they've bought them. Again, please have a read through the thread, all your points have been addressed comprehensively, it's pointless regurgitating it.

velo.2010 · 11-09-2017 06:11PM

Hmm, would the original intention for the e20.000 have been to buy the spin bikes and use them for 'out of hours' business besides the regular scheduled and charity related spin classes.... but they were spooked by the attention they were getting for the grant and held off buying the spin bikes?

Perhaps, the intention now is to source the funding for spin bikes from other means, as mentioned in this America-Mayo fund, and they intend to give the e20,000 back to the Department when they do get the outside funds.

Strong whiff of Celtic Tiger cronyism about it, whatever the actual case.

MayoAreMagic · 11-09-2017 06:27PM

EC1000 wrote: »

I put in a successful application for 10k for watt bikes for my local tri club about 3 years ago. It was almost two years before we actually got our hands on them and the money certainly wasn't resting in our account all that time! You have to pay the first 10% yourself from your own funds and can only draw down the other 90% of the funds on the basis of an invoice from the supplier for the remainder....

Well I have been reading it back, but all Im seeing is stuff about Enda Kenny keeping his head down, and a raft of other glib stuff that is a good one liner but doesnt actually prove very much. The above was the most relevant post I found and it actually argues the other side of the case...

Im from the same county, but I will point out that I know nothing and have no involvement in this club (mayo is a big place). If they have done something wrong then they deserve to be punished, but there is no suggestion that they have done anything out of the ordinary, as the above proves. It just seems to be a bit of a crusade for one or two, because they got the money from an outgoing head of state (as if that is something new).

Eamonnator · 11-09-2017 06:27PM

Has the club, concerned, made any public statement about this matter?

spyderski · 11-09-2017 10:07PM

Eamonnator wrote: »

Has the club, concerned, made any public statement about this matter?

They initially made a public statement to say that Enda had no involvement whatsoever in the awarding of the grant, and knew nothing about it. When it was FOI'd it became apparent that he had sent 2 emails about it. The club have been silent since.

flutered · 11-09-2017 10:17PM

greenspurs wrote: »

I might send an aul email off to their secretary and ask a few questions :rolleyes:

let us know how you fare out

Beasty · 11-09-2017 10:48PM

Eamonnator wrote: »

Has the club, concerned, made any public statement about this matter?

They could call a halt to all this controversy by doing so

I cannot understand how an organisation with nothing to hide would not do so

Mattie500 · 11-09-2017 11:27PM

Don't get the obsession here, we got 3k from the health fund for turbos... If anyone (apart from the issuing body) came looking for a statement etc as to how it was spent I too would be ignoring it.

Taoiseach’s Mayo village cycling club hits jackpot with Lottery grant

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