Patchwork Studios
22nd November 2020Six months on; an update
Back in May, hundreds of amazing humans stepped up in our dire time of need, throwing us a lifeline that we'll never forget. Instead of being forced to close our doors and admit defeat, your overwhelming support presented us with a set of choices. We could bunker down and utilise the funds to stay afloat for another six months, effectively meaning that we'd have to be looking to reopen exactly as we were pre-pandemic, right about now.
The other choice in front of us was a huge amount more work; to approach national funding bodies such as the Arts Council and Prince's Trust, and proposition for further financial backing. We started this community project with next to nothing - everything was self-funded on a shoestring, borrowed or gifted - so the idea of having cash reserves was a distant dream which had made us ineligible for serious funding consideration. Thanks to this amazing community, however, we realised these opportunities were now within reach.
We spent months upskilling and painstakingly completing application after application, demonstrating this immense level of community support and demand for our social enterprise, while proudly highlighting our Crowdfunded cash reserves to inspire confidence in our operations. We are immensely grateful to the Arts Council for understanding our long-term vision and the potential large-scale social benefits of our proposals, awarding us close to £30,000 in emergency funding.
We would not have been able to consider applying for any further funding without the initial support and investment from the hundreds of you that rushed to our aid. Your donations will remain ringfenced as our emergency cash reserves, ensuring that we are able to weather any future storms, and can continue to access future funding to create the vibrant and inclusive community centre that we've always dreamed of. Every grant that we are awarded, therefore, is a direct result of your generosity six months ago.
We are forever in your debt.
What has your support helped us to achieve?
A huge amount of work has been happening behind the scenes. Over the last six months, our founder Josh has continued to pour his entire being into the construction and near-completion of our studio facilities next door to the venue. Where the final phases of building were once a distant thought, we're now only months away from the reality of a beautifully crafted, fully operational, professional-quality recording studio on the Rame Peninsula. Alongside its commercial operation which will provide us with a necessary income while our other spaces are unable to open, this new space will have massive positive impacts on our youth work and community-focused programmes.
In a newly acquired unit in the Barrack Block, also adjacent to the venue, an exciting new facility is taking shape. Garrison Gallery is a contemporary exhibition space and art school, built and operated by our friends and collaborators Andy and Amanda Knights. Part-funded by the Arts Council, this latest space will soon be rolling out online drawing classes to keep those creative juices flowing throughout lockdown. Please follow the page for updates. This latest expansion of our community complex puts visual arts on equal footing with music and performance, paving the way for boundless new concepts to flourish, while doubling down on creative education and inspiration for our community, and beyond. Watch this space.
What comes next for Patchwork Studios?
Alongside the new art classes from Garrison Gallery, our Youth Music Lab will restart next week as an online forum for secondary school ages and DBS checked mentors only. Your children can join the closed group which will be linked from our socials next week, if you'd like more information please reach out to us any time. We have been gifted many generous donations of musical equipment during the pandemic, which we are in the processing of refurbishing for home-use while we are prevented from hosting face-to-face activities.
We always strive for maximum inclusivity in all that we do, such is the shared ethos of our home at Maker Heights. To continue to be as community-led as we can be, we'll be posting out surveys, asking you all questions and trying to determine your needs throughout the coming winter months. These will largely roll out across our social platforms, so please do follow us if you haven't yet and be sure to have your say in our future.
Beyond that, we'll be starting to think about what reopening might look like - whenever it is possible for us to do so. We're interested to hear what you'd like to see, and any ideas you have for any of our spaces when that time comes. If you'd like to go a step further and consider becoming involved in any of our events, activities or workshops, please do get in touch. We are committed to providing a supportive platform for community members to determine and action their own projects as part of our monthly schedules; whether it be an art class, a live event, weekly workshops or something else entirely.
Staying positive and thankful...
While we remain confident that our community-funded cash reserves will enable us to keep pushing our project forward despite the social restrictions and economic uncertainty, we are acutely aware that this pandemic is far from over. The recent news of various promising vaccines is really encouraging, but we still foresee it being some time before we're able to operate the way we once did. If anyone would like to reach out during these trying times, please do, we're always here to support you.
Fortunately, our partnerships with Music Venue Trust and the Arts Council will enable us to reopen safely as soon as we are able, collaborating to devise creative ways of viably working within reduced capacities and social distancing restrictions. We cannot thank either organisation enough for their support, and their belief and investment in our community venture. A huge thank you also to the School of Social Entrepreneurs, who have provided six months of invaluable courses full of guidance and advice, not to mention a further £10,000 in funding for our future.
Finally, the biggest and most heartfelt thank you goes out to each and every one of you for your continued belief in us, and your endless support and encouragement. We would not be here without you, and cannot wait to repay your generosity a thousand times over when our doors open again.
With love and appreciation,
Patchwork Studios & Garrison Gallery
Tom, Josh, Will, Andy, Amanda & Penelope