Save Arts in Ramsgate!

We are raising funds to save our beloved grassroots community arts space Arts in Ramsgate from closure.

My name is Christine and I am a volunteer at Arts in Ramsgate, I run the craft session which takes place every Thursday afternoon for a group of 10-20 ladies. It’s a highlight of our week and if AiR were to close we’d be devastated so I have set up this fundraiser on behalf of the organisation to help them survive this blip and stay open.

The centre manager has been working voluntarily to keep the space open through an illness and she now needs our help! Poor ill health and escalating costs has resulted in a shortfall in income.

At the same time AiR is seeing an increase in need of people coming through the door as our community is hit hardest by the cost of living and the health and social care and housing crises.

The AiR community includes people from all kinds of backgrounds and particularly supports people with complex lives; those who suffer poor mental heath, those with chronic illness, those navigating neurodivergence, those with disabilities, those who are isolated, those who've been through the care and fostering system.

AiR want to make their hours more regular, open more during the evenings and weekends, run more projects for kids in the half terms and set up a community advisory panel to work alongside the board to make sure we have a direct influence in running the centre. They also want to fix the loo, and put a welcoming sign above the door! All these plans have been stalled by illness and we want to help get things moving again.

To be able to do this we need to raise £5000 to enable them to stabilise, pay the heating bill accrued from providing warm rooms three days a week during the winter and create a bit of slack whilst they wait to hear about the funding bids for which they are currently awaiting a decision.

This time will also allow AiR to continue to diversify their business plan, moving toward more gallery and workshop rentals to like-minded organisations, meaning they are less reliant on funding to survive (we are told that only 1 in 10 are successful) and more toward self-reliance and sustainability.

We are very grateful that our landlord Prospects Estate Agents / Dayne Gooding is on board to help us succeed. Prospects refurbished the space to our spec when we opened to ensure we could provide an accessible space. Our rent is below market rate and our rent increase for 2024 has been waived.

Our beloved community arts space is currently facing threat of closure. Let’s stand together and make sure AiR survives this bump in the road to keep serving the community of Ramsgate and beyond.

About Arts in Ramsgate:

Established by Madeline Wright in 2016, Arts in Ramsgate is an inclusive and welcoming grassroots not-for-profit arts community centre and gallery in central Ramsgate. Premises are at 46 High St, next door to the post office.

AiR exists to provide a safe accessible community space running inclusive no / low cost art, craft, music, and well-being sessions with a focus on collective mental health and community cohesion.

AiR supports and works in partnership with local and international artists, creative people and local partners including Ramsgate Town Council, the Mayor of Ramsgate, The NHS Kent and Medway Recovery College, Discovery Planet, Power of Women, Mencap, It’s Sew Ramsgate, Lunatraktors, Ralph Hoult, Broadstairs College, the Ramsgate Cultural Consortium, Radford House, The Great British Carnival, Refugee Week, Margate Now and Stage Door Arts and many more…

The space is step-free and fully accessible for people who need to use wheels. AiR is disability, ND and LGBTQI+ positive and anti-racist. They are dog and child friendly.

Since 2016, AiR has run several community parades in conjunction with Great British Carnival as well as hundreds of workshops in painting, drawing, ceramics, craft, jewellery making, poetry, music and dance as well as a social drop-in day every week where people can get help, advice and signposting. Staff, volunteers and regulars are always on hand to lend a listening ear. Last winter as energy costs went through the roof AiR opened three days a week to become a ‘warm space’ for people who couldn’t afford heating at home.

Above all, AiR offers a low-pressure supportive environment to allow people to explore their creativity and self-expression and to demystify arts and creativity for people from all backgrounds. A space for people to meet, chat, create and be themselves.

The future and vision for Arts in Ramsgate...

Arts in Ramsgate wants to get back on its feet to be able to offer regular opening hours, a diverse arts, crafts and wellbeing programme and big community events such as carnival workshops, the Ramsgate Winter Lantern Parade.

Success in meeting our target will mean that we can secure the future of Arts in Ramsgate with the donated funds being allocated accordingly:

• Keep up to date with energy, rent, insurance, maintenance and materials bills.

• Retaining our lease for the foreseeable to ensure our community can continue to benefit from this safe accessible space.

• Discuss plans for our future with our community, set up a community advisory board and redraft our constitution to allow us access to more funding opportunities and to ensure what we deliver is catered to peoples true needs and is representative of our community.

• Use the slack created in our cash flow to further develop a financially sustainable, people driven, operating model and programme to ensure that Arts in Ramsgate’s status as a grassroots community arts venue and gallery at the core of its community is safeguarded into the future.

Please donate and share...

We know that times are tough for a lot us people out there. Even if it's the cost of a coffee or a share on social media/WhatsApp groups which doesn't cost anything to do. Every contribution to this effort is a hugely appreciated as we work together to save our community space.

We can't do it without you! Thank you for reading. xx

#saveartsinramsgate #communityinramsgate

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