The national crowdfunding campaign launched by the Theatres Trust was designed to raise valuable funds to support theatres throughout the country. York’s Joseph Rowntree Theatre was one of the first to sign up for the scheme and set itself an ambitious fundraising target of £10,000. Today, the theatre has announced that it has exceeded that target.
The nationwide scheme was backed by high- profile individuals such as Jude Law, who is a Theatres Trust Ambassador. The actor said, “Theatres are a vital community hub that bring joy to millions of people each year and we must try and save these theatres for generations to come.”
The Joseph Rowntree Theatre already prides itself on being a strong community hub, a venue run for the community, by the community. Its income, however, has been decimated since lockdown, meaning that savings which had originally been earmarked for vital repairs are now being used to fund day to day expenses.
Graham Mitchell, The Joseph Rowntree Theatre’s Fundraising and Events Director says, “The fact that 165 supporters have donated to this campaign over just 41 days shows just how much this theatre and its survival means to the people of York and the surrounding area. In total, including Gift Aid, we’ve raised the incredible total of £10,377.50. Fundraising during a pandemic has certainly been a challenge and we want to say a huge, huge “thank you” to all those who have pledged an amount, large or small. We did it!”
Some of the donations went towards specific “rewards” on the Crowfunder page, such as theatre teddy bears, personal theatre tours and afternoon teas on the stage. Other benefits available included theatre Friends memberships and sponsored seats, which are still for sale via the theatre’s website.
You can view the journey of the charity’s campaign and see the remarkable support and comments from donors on the theatre’s crowdfunder page.
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