Frames Conservatories Direct, East Anglia’s leading home improvement company is marking 10 years as main club sponsors of Bury St Edmunds Rugby Club with a day of celebrations for members, supporters and fellow sponsors.
The multi award-winning business based in Bury St Edmunds, run by the Lewis family, will mark the milestone during the final 1XV home match of the season on Saturday 22nd April 2017.
Adrian Lewis will host a lunch for 190 guests and members ahead of the final National League 2 match of the season against Canterbury RUFC.
During the event FCD will also be launching a new annual FCD sponsored award to mark the contribution of a club member who has gone ‘above and beyond’ the call of duty for the club during the course of season, whether as a player in minis, youth, senior or as a club supporter.
Frames Conservatories Direct became a main club sponsor of Bury St Edmunds RUFC in 2007 when the club was playing in London SE 2 league. In that time both the club and FCD have enjoyed enormous success within their organisations. Established for just 6 years at this time, FCD was already making an impact across East Anglia. The company had a turnover of just over £1m, a staff of 20 and were carrying out 25 installations of new conservatories and products a month.
Roll on 10 years and with help from the support of FCD the club has risen 3 leagues to National League 2, the highest in its history, becoming the most successful across Suffolk and Norfolk, doubled its minis membership, established ladies and touch rugby teams, built a Fitness Development Centre, raised over £150,000 for charity, developed a community rugby coaching team that supports 23 schools and colleges in the area; and has become widely acknowledged as the leading rugby club for player training and development across East Anglia.
Meanwhile, Frames Conservatories Direct has also gone from strength to strength. In the same period, the company has increased its turnover to £5m and staff to 45. They now carry out 80-100 installations a month, and its customer base has grown to 6000. They moved to larger premises on Barton Road, won multiple awards including National Installer of the Year at the Network Veka awards for Customer Satisfaction three times in a row and Bury Free Press Business Awards’ Contribution to the Community Award. In addition to the Rugby Club FCD support several other sporting clubs in the area including bowls squash and football and raised thousands of pounds for charities among them St Nicholas Hospice, West Suffolk Hospital’s Rainbow Ward and West Suffolk Hospital’s Prostate Cancer ‘Beat It’ Appeal.
Speaking about the milestone Club Chairman Michael Robinson said “The impact of Frames Conservatories Direct’s sponsorship of the Club cannot be under-estimated. Adrian and Gisela Lewis backed the club when our vision was merely a dream. They believed we could achieve our aims of playing in much higher leagues and of developing a leading community club in the region and so helped to support our ambitions financially. Their longstanding support and ongoing commitment to the club and sport within Bury is hugely recognised and appreciated by all our members and supporters. We owe them a big thank you for the last 10 years and so are delighted to be able to mark this milestone with a celebration for all members.”
Owner and Managing Director of Frames Conservatories Direct, Adrian Lewis has a great sense of personal pride at the 10 year relationship “When we entered into this sponsorship arrangement 10 years ago I never imagined that it would be the start of something quite so successful, for either of us. Of course, from a business point of view we have had the advantage of brand exposure at a prime location in the town and that has helped us develop our business to the size it is today but it has given me so much more. Witnessing the Club’s determination to succeed and then achieve the promotion success they have and knowing that our sponsorship has played a part in that is very fulfilling.”
