Help to Save the TAAG Arts and Community Centre

TAAG and the Impact of Coronavirus

We‘re very grateful to everyone who has contributed to our crowdfunder so far. The impact of coronavirus means that we’ve had to reassess our immediate plans. Now we’re focusing on securing sufficient funds to complete the building purchase and to carry out essential work required so that we can reopen. We’re hoping this will be around October, if enough has been collected to install sinks, toilets and other essentials. We’ll be addressing the refurbishment of the upper floors once TAAG is back in operation and grants become available again. 

Our plans to provide improved facilities and more arts & well-being services for the community and visitors, which are set out below, remain largely unchanged. However, the more funds that can be raised before October, the quicker we’ll be able to reopen. That is why we are leaving the crowdfunder open for a longer period. So please continue to share widely via social media or email, and contribute whatever you can to our appeal.

Many thanks, from the TAAG Trustees
27th May 2020

Introduction

We know there is never a good time to ask for money, and this time is especially bad, with the country in lockdown and great uncertainty for many. However, at TAAG we made a commitment to buy and save our Arts and Community Centre for the benefit of the local community, and have raised half of the overall £200,000 that we need. Following the lockdown we have reassessed our crowdfunder target to £30k (with a stretch target of £60k), which we think will allow us to reopen. Please read our story and contribute to this project, if you can, and help us to get TAAG reopened, allowing local organisations to resume the provision of much-needed arts and well-being support in our area.

Our story

During the past 10 years our TAAG volunteers have developed a rundown garage space into a thriving home for the arts and community, which includes galleries, workshops and a community hub at the heart of Teignmouth’s Arts Quarter. The overwhelming support of users and local people helped us to persuade the council to spare the building from demolition and offer it to us. TAAG has now acquired charitable status and we are buying the building from the council to refurbish and to secure this arts and community facility for the public benefit.

This Crowdfunder is part of our fundraising to meet the costs of the building purchase, essential maintenance & access costs, and associated expenses. Our initial target was £200,000 and thanks to the generosity of donors and a fundraising exhibition by artists we have almost reached the halfway point. This Crowdfunder aims to raise £30,000 of the remaining £100,000, which will allow us to save and reopen TAAG.

In the future, after TAAG reopens and vital access and maintenance work is completed, we plan a second phase of grant-aided refurbishment on the upper floors, including the provision of studios and other facilities, which will generate income to ensure sustainability and to help support future activities.

How you can help

Please donate what you can to help us buy the TAAG building and firmly establish an arts and crafts legacy which will serve the community for many years to come. 

You may like to set up your own sponsored fundraising challenge to raise funds for us. Examples of sponsored activities include a number which can be done immediately, such as a sponsored silence, a headshave, sacrificing or growing a beard/moustache, giving something up for a period (eg chocolate, alcohol or smoking), or being eco-friendly and giving up meat, plastics, or driving. Alternatively, it might be a future activity that you can obtain pledges for, such as a sponsored run, hike, swim, or extreme sports such as abseiling or skydiving. 

You can set up your own crowdfunder fundraising page to manage pledges, and donated amounts will automatically be paid to our appeal fund. We can claim Gift Aid on your donation if you are eligible.

Access a fuller list of ideas and a how-to video guide here, and a list of 97 fundraising ideas here. You can download a fundraising guide here.

No matter how big or small your donation, we will record it and ensure that every pound counts. Give us your contact details and we will ensure that you are invited to our reopening event.

If you’re not in a position to give now, you can still help us out by sharing this Crowdfunder widely to friends, family, the arts community and businesses, using facebook, instagram, twitter, linkedIn, whatsapp, email, and word of mouth. Please use our hashtag #buytaag and quote our Crowdfunder web address -
https://www.crowdfunder.co.uk/help-to-buy-taag

Rewards

We have a full range of rewards for donors. Please note that rewards will only be delivered when we reopen fully. This was planned to be later this year but, with the coronavirus restrictions, is now likely to be early in 2021. Most of our larger rewards are flexible and you can email us at [email protected] and talk with one of the trustees if you have specific needs or suggestions.

Who are we?

TAAG is a charitable incorporated organisation managed by five volunteer trustees with wide-ranging experience in the arts, finance and project management. We also have a steering committee of nine other volunteers, which has an advisory role.

When the purchase is complete, the TAAG building will be held in trust for the community.

About TAAG and Our Community

TAAG - the Teignmouth Arts Action Group - was originally formed to improve communication between artists and art organisations and to foster the arts in the area through collaboration and mutual support. It has been at the forefront of the arts in Teignmouth for over ten years, and has been instrumental in the development of an Arts Quarter in Northumberland Place and the surrounding area.

The TAAG building was formerly a rundown garage, the lower floor of which was repaired and rebuilt by our volunteers. They created the present Arts and Community Centre which comprises two galleries, a workshop, a meeting room and a kitchen. Volunteers steward the centre daily from 10am to 5pm and we only close on Christmas day.

The centre is well used by the local community. Over 30 organisations use TAAG and we support Teignvironment, workshops for carers, Devon Learning Recovery workshops for the NHS,  multicultural festivals, Devon Open Studios, TRAIL recycled art, carnival/lantern workshops, and much more. We host a wide variety of art & craft workshops, language teaching, book clubs, and other activities. Our galleries show weekly exhibitions of traditional and contemporary art by professional and amateur artists.

Why are we crowdfunding £30k?

For the past ten years we have rented the TAAG building. The council refused to let us buy it because of their redevelopment plans for the area. As a result, we were unable to develop the building further. During this period the number of users has grown dramatically and applications for workshop and gallery bookings have also greatly increased. Last year the centre footfall was 50,000. 

In 2019 the council’s plans crystallised and consultations showed overwhelming community support for TAAG. Subsequently the council has given us the opportunity to buy the building, except for the workshop at the rear which is being demolished. We will be completing the purchase when the demolition and making good is done.

We estimate that we need £200,000 for the purchase, essential access and remedial works, and associated costs. Thanks to the generosity of local donors and fundraisers we have so far raised almost £100,000. This Crowdfunder is for £30,000 which, together with what we have raised already, will allow us to reopen. Our stretch target is £60,000, which would allow us to carry out vital access and maintenance work. Funds raised by crowdfunder may attract additional match funding.

This Crowdfunder platform is the focus of our fundraising activities and is intended to broaden our appeal for funds. We hope that potential givers will recognise the value that a donation in support of TAAG will have in helping the arts to flourish in the Teignmouth area, and providing the opportunity for artistic expression to those who otherwise might not be able to participate.

In times of challenge and uncertainty, it is more important than ever to support the health and resilience of our communities. Your donation will help us to reopen as soon as possible and enable us to support the well-being and recovery of the community in Teignmouth.

We are grateful for all donations and pledges, big or small, and all our donors are invited to join us in a celebration when the building reopens.

Thank you for your support.

Please Help by Sharing this Appeal 

Include our Crowdfunder URL: https://www.crowdfunder.co.uk/help-to-buy-taag and use the hashtag: #buytaag

And Follow Our Progress

• Check out our blog and website: www.teignmoutharts.org
• Like and follow us on our facebook page: @TAAGCIO
• Follow our Instagram feed: taag_teignmouth
• Contact us at: [email protected]

Quotes from people responding to the redevelopment consultation:

• TAAG has created an oasis for the arts. The goodwill generated by its friendly atmosphere and numerous fascinating events, which are open to all, is priceless.
• It gives me so much pleasure to see the work here, it is a lovely facility.
• TAAG has made a big difference to Teignmouth. I moved here in 2009. TAAG is the heart of the community.
• You can come here at any time, any day to a warm welcome.
• I grew up here and then came back; over the last few years TAAG has become the life force of our town.
• TAAG has proven itself to be the biggest community draw in Teignmouth.
• TAAG is one of the reasons I moved here. It means a lot to so many people, it must stay.
• TAAG brings me into town. It is an essential part of the community.
• This place needs to stay, look at all the love and commitment that has gone into building it.
• This community centre is so valuable to young and old.
• As a visitor TAAG is a place that brings me back to Teignmouth. There is always something different to see.
• TAAG is the community. It shows talents of all kinds.
• TAAG is the heart of the artistic community.
• I have seen how the arts and community have developed in Teignmouth; it all centres round TAAG.
• TAAG promotes vital connections for artists.
• It would be a disaster for the whole community if TAAG went.
• The reason I moved here is because of TAAG. It is the essence of the community.
• TAAG is an opportunity to develop artistic practice and a brilliant social hub. It provides opportunities for cross fertilisation and new contacts.
• It is a centre for exchange, sharing ideas and avoids isolation.
• The support I have received through the TAAG community has, quite simply, meant I can succeed as an artist.
• Artists from beginners to professional use this place. It is the life and soul of Teignmouth.
• People come from all over the place to visit TAAG. It is a huge success.
• TAAG is a place of free expression, inspiration, communication; the common ground where poetry, visual art, music and learning collide in a glorious mix of creative spirit.