Please help us save our community,
Hi I’m Jo, founder of this beautiful company and community.
And this is quite possibly the hardest thing I’ve had to write and brings me to tears after nearly nine years of being open. It has been so hard for me to accept we are struggling and cannot continue like this.
I’ve been fighting with my pride for the last few months, also appreciating that most people are struggling right now also, so asking for help wasn’t an option. My own maladaptive thoughts and fear of judgement of what people will say was holding me back from asking for help.
I have first hand experienced how circus arts and movement can turn people’s life completely around. After having a turbulent childhood and only finding solace in circus arts in adult life it has gave me a sense of purpose to help people!
After watching the children and adults in our annual showcase and seeing them come to life had really made me very emotional and brought things into perspective!
It really brought back why I opened up this business in the first place.
And realizing the importance and impact the business has on so many peoples lives.
About the business, Initially I set up the business was set up in 2016 leaving a well paid job for sense of purpose and the feeling of my role being to provide a service for the community.
The main aims and goals was to provide a safe space for adults, children and SEN to learn and grow individually and collectively creating a community feel.
To help people with mental health, depression, low self esteem, anxiety and people who are lonely.
Since then additionally to that, it has expanded into the creation of an Academy creating job opportunities for students wishing to learn to become professionals as teachers and also as professional aerialists.
We have trained up various students into teachers creating jobs for themselves and helped various people on their way to working on cruise ships, and circus school.
But most rewarding is helping people whose day to day life has been impacted by mental health, depression, anxiety, low self esteem and who are lonely and need a safe community environment.
For those people, having something to look forward to each week and seeing their confidence and sense of self worth increase has definitely been the best.
And this hasn’t changed since 2016 if anything it has grown from strength to strength.
We made it through Covid by taking out two loans valuing to £28000 and we have paid these consistently each month for three years but with the effects of current economic climate, increased inflation, landlords putting up rent and electricity by 75% and refusing to do work in the venue we are struggling majorly.
Seeing our business close would have a big negative effect and impact on so many people who attend and new people who are looking to find a community like ours.
Circus Arts and Movement plays such a big part in allowing people to be free, connect back to their bodies and create a new found confidence and self esteem which carries through to every part of their lives, we hope our business has helped you or you can see value in our business for the communities we help.
We have set up this crowdfunder for help,
We need to raise about £17500 to clear off the loans, catch up on the rent, electricity and do the repairs on the venue.
We would be forever grateful if even a small amount to donate towards keeping our community together! Everything helps no matter what the amountwill help us.
Thank you for taking the time to read this and we hope to meet you soon if you’re not part of our community already.
Thank you from us all at JD Aerial Fitness Academy