Save Hope Anti-Supermarket

Hello all, my name is James Rafferty Valerio, I am starting this fundraiser on behalf of Hope Anti Supermarket in New Brighton, Merseyside, an abandoned supermarket that a team and I under Rockpoint CIC over the past six months have cleaned out and repurposed. Here are some images of the Supermarket from the beginning, and a video of comedian Eddie Izzard endorsing and naming Hope.

 

 

 

We had a lot of work on our hands, from painting the vast outside and walls and removing those shelves (not fun!). Luckily the community were right behind us, and we had a team of enthusiastic volunteers to rely on. Those who helped ranged from those with free time to help us clean to full professional electricians and joiners who were equally generous with their time and skills working hard to make it work from early morning to late evening. We worked on an incredibly tight budget having to upcycle and repurpose what we could. Nevertheless, this is what we achieved...

 

 

And here it is in action...

 

 

So far, we have held markets, live music gigs, comedy nights and utilised the space as a place of public discourse. We believe we have proved our concept, and we know it can work.

 

We do, however, understand that for this to work, we need to get ourselves to a certain position; we need to secure the future of this building to the point where it can stand on its own two feet.

The events and business opportunities that will allow us to stay afloat will take at least three more months in the making. The rent on this building is steep, fifteen thousand pounds not including VAT every three months. Forty thousand of the fundraiser will be used to pay the quarter we are about to finish at the end of March and the quarter we are about to start in April, and the other ten thousand we will use to install toilets and pay for the sound rig for the gigs we have planned.

 

Please consider following @hopeantisupermarket to see more detailed information on events and the video testimonies from the public we plan on using to promote this fundraiser. The support we have received has been tremendous and, truthfully, is what keeps us going. Any help is appreciated. and will help us achieve our goals of creating a vibrant artistic and commercial space.

 

Our intentions have always been to restore New Brighton to its former glory, where music, art, and community were at its heart.

 

Thank you for your time and consideration,

 

Yours Sincerely,

 

James Rafferty Valerio