“SHOW us how much you care.”
That was the plea from trustees of the crisis hit Witham arts centre to residents in Teesdale as they launched a public appeal to raise £30,000 in 30 days to save the Barnard Castle venue from closure.
Trustee Hazel Spencer told an audience of more than 100 supporters that if the target was reached, it would be “indicative that the population cares enough” about The Witham.
“As a board, we could have run away, contacted the Charity Commission and said this is in the ‘too difficult’ box and handed it back to the Charity Commission,” she said.
Instead, she said: “We are going to try to do our best to deliver what we believe the community needs.
“We are at a point now where The Witham has a really good reputation in the arts world, but we can see we need to make some changes. We need financial support for that.
“The first step is calling on you to show us how much you care. If as a community you care, then this is why we feel an appeal is important.”
In addition to the public appeal for £30,000, Ms Spencer said the board of trustees was committed to lodging applications totalling £100,000 with grant making bodies by September 11 and attracting £20,000 in corporate and business sponsorship.
In asking for cash, she added: “No amount of money is too little. We need a funding pipeline.”
Bob Garton, chairman of the board of trustees, conceded that The Witham had struggled financially ever since reopening in 2013 following a £3.2million renovation.
“Looking back, there was little understanding of how this building would operate and the costs associated with running this fantastic heritage building. There was very little artistic direction.
“Quite clearly this has evolved over four or five years to the vibrant facility we have got, but like many small arts venues, we face significant financial challenges.”
He explained that the current dire financial straits faced by The Witham came from a failed application an Arts Council grant.
“Had we been successful, we would not be sat here tonight. Unfortunately, we weren’t. We were not a million miles away, but we did not get it.”
As a result, Mr Garton said it was clear The Witham had to “cut its cloth” accordingly.
“We are still dependent on external funding. Along with the appeal will have to come a change in how we do things and what we put on,” he added.
“We have to look to put on other events to draw in the wider community.”
This point was echoed by both interim director Shelagh Avery and Ms Spencer, who said: “We can’t be too arty about wanting to get people into the building.”
Mr Garton told the audience: “Operating costs have gone up significantly. This is a £350,000 business at the moment. Going forward, as well as taking money in, we have got to get costs down.”
Ms Avery said the low tickets sales were a concern.
“Since I have come into The Witham, rarely have I seen as many people at a performance than there is this evening.
“We need to listen to what you would come to The Witham for. We need to grow the number of ticket sales.”
Ms Avery said some visitors to the centre had expressed concern about high ticket prices.
“We really need to think hard about how we control costs, but we also need your help to understand what we can do to fill The Witham many more nights in the year.”
When the session was opened up to questions, there was some criticism about how the friends group operates. The trustees pledged to act on the points raised.
The issue of attracting, schools and a generally younger audience was also raised.
The meeting was told The Witham did not have an audience development plan, although the trustees had recognised the need for one.
Trustee Rosie Cross said: “It would be nice to get money to do that sort of exercise. It takes time.”
After the meeting, Mr Garton said he was confident the £30,000 target would be met to give The Witham some cash flow in the short term.
Earlier, he said: “We would not be here tonight if we did not think the future of The Witham was vital to the area.
“The fundraising has already started. We are above £1,000. People are with us. That is fantastic.”
An appeal brochure titled Investing in The Witham has been produced outlining ways in which supporters can donate cash.
It is available from The Witham.
Details are also at www.the witham.org.uk along with a link to an online fundraising page.
