In Autumn 2020 the Foundation had the opportunity, in conjunction with investors from the Bridge community, to purchase an ex-Salvation Army citadel in Hammersmith and to convert it into a Mind Sports Centre. The purchase price was £1.76M, and the Board agreed in principal, subject to Member Agreement, to invest £400,000 in the building; the Members of the Foundation provided this approval at an Extraordinary General Meeting on 13 September.
Here are various documents associated with this purchase:
In October 2020 a new Company, MindSports Property Limited, (MPL) was established to purchase this building. Toby Manning is one of its Directors. The Foundation invested £300k in MPL, and donated a further £100k to the London Go Centre. Because the donation to the LGC involved the permanent disposal of a significnt proportion of the Foundation's assets, the Directors consulted with its Members to seek their informal consent to it (there was insufficient time for a formal Extraordinary General Meeting).
The response from the Members did not result in any opposition to the proposals, and as a result the Board donated £100k to the LGC.The LGC Trustees subesquently decided to also invest this money in MPL.
In December 2020 the purchase was completed and the LondonMind Sports Centre established. There is still a considerable amount of work to do, to refurbish the building (it has been unoccupied for 4 years). We do not yet have a date when (Coronavirus permitted) we can put the building into operation.