GL Fundraiser - see text for new donate link!

FOLLOW THIS LINK FOR NEW FUNDRAISER IF YOU WOULD LIKE TO DONATE

https://gofund.me/ee1a4796

Feb 24 Update <3

Crunch time fundraiser initiated!!

Please see new gofund me here >>>>

November 2023 Update:

After a series of fundraising events, compilation, lots of generous donations, and a successful funding bid, we’ve managed to raise a total 58k!

£22,000 of this has been raised on the ground, coming from a combination of our GoFundMe, compilation and the fundraising events we’ve run - shout out to all the incredible venues, promoters, artists and volunteers who have donated their time and energy - a proper team effort!

Thank you so much to everyone who has donated and for buying into the vision of the new space and getting behind the cause.

In addition to this, we had the news that we’ve been successfully awarded £37,000 of ReNew funding through the Sheffield City Council Future High Streets Fund (FHSF) Front Door Interventions Scheme (FDS).

However, like most building projects, costs keep going up and new problems arise everyday. From historic poo explosions to stairs cases that aren’t in line with regulations, there have been a few expensive developments. Not only do all of these issues cost money, they have also held up the project from progressing, meaning a delay in opening which adds a further stress on the cashflow. To read in more detail check and see the plans for the space please see our newsletter here.

If you feel you are able then any donations are really appreciated however, we know things are stressful financially for a lot of people right now and do not want to add any pressure.

We are eternally thankful for everyone's patience, love and support - it keeps us going through all the challenges and reminds us of what it's all about. <3 U all xoxoxo

Hello there :)

We’re Gut Level, a not-for-profit members club and event space that’s been making both naughty and nice things happen in Sheffield since 2019. Our aim over the last 4 years has been to provide social and creative opportunities for underrepresented groups in Sheffield, with a particular focus on LGBTQ+ people and marginalised genders. Until very recently we operated as a music venue, with profits from gigs and club nights funding workshops, equipment access and a community garden for a community of 1900+ members.

Over the course of our existence we’ve taken up space in various different spots across the city, but are best known for the nightclub we ran between 2021 - 2022 in an ex-cutlery factory on Snow Lane. We were sadly forced out of this building towards the end of last year due to its planned redevelopment. Since then, we’ve been searching for a new space that will fill the gap it left. Our dream is to give the queers, weirdos and music heads in the city somewhere cosy, welcoming and a liccle bit freaky to hang out, get creative and enjoy with each other.

We are happy to say we have found a new space! A not-too-big, not-too-small, centrally located ex-cafe on Chapel Walk :D

Our planning application has been approved by the council to turn this unit into a community space, bar and venue with a 2am alcohol licence on Fridays and Saturdays. We’re in final negotiations on the terms of the lease, but we’ll be signing for an initial term of 5 years, giving our community the stable home we’ve been searching for.

This space will be a members club, taking inspiration from the traditional labour clubs and socialist drinking holes of the 19th century. Booze will be as cheap as we can possibly afford whilst ensuring we meet our basic costs and pay staff a fair wage. The space itself will be available for members to request the use of, at low cost, for their own wholesome social events, radical organising activities and deviant parties. It will be queer, but not tacky. Sometimes sweet. Sometimes sober. Always horny. (a bit like us).

This is really bloody exciting!

However, the space in its current form needs a ton of work to make it safe and habitable. We have applied for some funding via the Council's Renew scheme to help cover renovation costs, but unfortunately are getting signals from them that this scheme is now unlikely to go ahead.

This means we’re now looking to Sheffield’s (and beyond!) queer, music and lefty communities and anybody who shares our goal to help us crowdfund the capital needed to transform this project from a dream into reality.

A breakdown of some of the costs we’re looking to cover…

These works are the bare minimum needed to meet the conditions of our planning application and bring the space up to the functional, safety and accessibility standards that we need to make this a comfortable, secure and safer space for our community.

Should we receive the Renew funding from the Council we will give a further breakdown of what the donations will be spent on.

We realise this is a large sum and times are especially hard right now. Any donation, big or small, is massively appreciated. In addition to this Go Fund Me, our plan is to rally volunteers to run all different kinds of fundraising events over the next couple of months to help us reach this target.

If you want to take a more active role in helping secure this space then email [email redacted].uk

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A bit more info on us

Gut Level is a not-for-profit organisation that aims to provide social and creative opportunities for underrepresented groups in Sheffield, with a particular focus on LGBTQ+ people and marginalised genders. We operate as a members club, with over 1900 members currently signed up. The largest demographic within our membership is LGBTQ+ people.

We lost our venue late last year due to the redevelopment of the building and are currently in a temporary project space on Eyre Street that allows us to continue offering DIY grassroots activities to people in the city. At the moment, we're regularly running skills sharing workshops, communal meals, and socials.

In 2022 Gut Level won the “Cultural Vibrancy Award” at the Sheffield Business Awards in recognition of the significant impact it’s made on Sheffield through arts, culture and events. The award gives recognition to those who have played a part in promoting the narrative of Sheffield as a fantastic place to live, work and invest.

This work continued into 2023, when the collective collaborated with Resolve Collective for a month-long takeover & exhibition at The Barbican Centre in London. The exhibition shines a light on DIY music culture in The North of England. Curated by Gut Level, the exhibition features images from the collectives activity, as well as those from neighbouring DIY noise makers across Sheffield, Leeds, Manchester and Liverpool.

Find out more about the work we do and our community here: https://gutlevel.co.uk/ and here: https://www.instagram.com/gutlevelsheffield/