Gosforth Civic Theatre is taking part in The Big Give’s Christmas Challenge for the second year running. Starting on Giving Tuesday, 1 December, until Tuesday 8 December 2020 every penny donated through the Big Give is doubled, meaning that one donation makes twice the impact.
This year’s initiative is given extra significance with the impact that COVID-19 has had on the arts and cultural sector. Gosforth Civic Theatre, along with many other theatres, charities and community venues are facing an uncertain future. The income that they so desperately rely on has been drastically reduced, even after a successful reopening which saw GCT become one of the only venues in the North East putting on a programme of live music and film, supporting artists and offering the local community a safe space to come and engage with art again.
“All venues at the minute are facing real challenges, each having to make impossible decisions often based on survival more than anything else, we have tried to find a balance between being there for our beneficiaries, audience and local artists and also ensuring we are able to survive the pandemic, it is a difficult path to tread.” Rob Huggins, CEO of Liberdade and Gosforth Civic Theatre.
Through the Big Give, they are looking to raise £7,500 in donations, which would land them a transformative £15,000 through matched funding.
In the four years since they opened, Gosforth Civic Theatre has become a new artistic hub, not only in Gosforth, but the North East. It’s a space that welcomes everyone that is geared towards breaking down social barriers to not only people with learning disabilities but all groups who feel on the outside of society.
The Big Give provides you with the opportunity to make even more of a difference with your donation as it will be doubled when it’s given through The Big Give website between 1st and 8th December 2020.
Money raised through the Christmas Challenge 2020 will have a huge impact, it will not only help secure the future of the venue and help them come through the latest challenge posed by COVID19, it means people with learning disabilities will have the opportunity to proactively and positively shape how the general public view them. This is a clear societal benefit and a model that can be replicated by other organisations. This also has personal impact by building self-esteem and promoting health and wellbeing. All that alongside continuing to provide a space where local people of all backgrounds will have a theatre where they can enjoy performance, film, and music.
If Gosforth Civic Theatre and Liberdade are a charity that you value and you can afford to support, then please donate what you can at http://bit.ly/GCTBigGive2020 during Big Give week.
All donations must be made online between 1st and 8th December to qualify for the matched funding.
Liberdade Community Development Trust would like to thank all of their past current and future supporters, they would not be able to continue the great work at Gosforth Civic Theatre without this support.
For more information on the project and how you can help visit https://www.gosforthcivictheatre.co.uk/the-big-give