We're still collecting donations
On the 16th December 2021 we'd raised £30,396 with 108 supporters in 42 days. But as every pound matters, we're continuing to collect donations from supporters.
+ est. £1730.25
The Chapel – A space to learn, live and connect. A café; meeting spaces; a heritage site; an events space and a children’s play area.
by Chichester Community Development Trust in Chichester, England, United Kingdom
On the 16th December 2021 we'd raised £30,396 with 108 supporters in 42 days. But as every pound matters, we're continuing to collect donations from supporters.
We are now aiming for our stretch goal of £30,000, with this we will be able to invest in the sound and lighting systems that will empower our incredible local talent to project their performances and realise their potential, showcasing the huge young and emerging talent that needs somewhere to perform, as well as encourage big names to perform in our local space.
We will be able to buy the AV, lighting and screen infrastructure to create the most incredible events experience just for you. Chichester needs somewhere that makes live music, comedy and performances accessible to everybody – with your help we can make that happen!
Having a space to connect with others has never been more important. A space to be with friends and family, or sometimes to simply ‘be’ but amongst others. The Chapel provides a space for people to connect, a space for families, for friends, for those feeling alone, gives performers a voice and the community somewhere to be heard. But we need your help in order to open the doors. We’re so close.
Chichester Community Development Trust (CCDT) has spent the last 5 years working on raising funds; securing planning permission; developing drawings and plans to transform The Chapel into a new community venue in the heart of the development at Graylingwell Park. The Chapel will open its doors to everybody in February 2022, with a café; a space to meet; a space to share and come together with friends and family; a pre-school play area and exciting events space.
The Chapel at Graylingwell Park was a space of sanctuary for patients and staff at Graylingwell Hospital – previously the West Sussex County Asylum. Long since closed, the ethos of supporting mental health will still run through the core of all that we do at The Chapel, working hard to find ways to help us all feel better, particularly after the difficult months the pandemic has brought. The café, meetings rooms and wide-open space will offer daytime activities including:
Whatever makes you feel better - laughing till your sides hurt, listening to live music that you love or hearing the inspiring stories of people who have taken one step to a better life - the Chapel will offer this space for you. A space that simply doesn’t exist in Chichester until now. With your financial support we will be able to provide evenings for everybody, regardless of age or circumstances, such as:
All at a price that is accessible, including regular free-to-attend performances.
As an independent charity we have raised enough funds through blood, sweat and a few tears to convert the disused chapel of Chichester’s now closed Graylingwell Hospital. We have been hit with bad weather, COVID and huge rising costs of materials and we are so close to opening but we need your help to take the final step. The building work will be complete in February 2022 but we need support to buy furniture and the fixtures needed to welcome you to your space – please help us by investing in the chairs, tables, screens and more to bring it to life, and in return you will receive a massive virtual Thank You hug from us (plus a reward, you choose which one)!
CCDT works with many organisations around Chichester all of which help people in need of support to take one step at a time towards a better life. They will use the spaces in The Chapel to continue their work – offering workshops, delivering performances and connecting with the wider community. By helping us, you will be helping them too, as they need the tables, chairs and equipment to make it happen.
Organisations like Think Out, who help young adults with complex learning and physical needs to become an integral part of our wider community, learning life skills and sampling new experiences. Their volunteering and activities require the furniture and technology we are raising funds for.
We work with organisations supporting performers as they grow into tomorrow’s stars, such as Ovation Music’s charity helping young people develop careers and interest in music, creating rock and jazz bands. Dramatis helps adults and young people with their performance skills, simultaneously building their confidence, and communications skills.
If we hit our main target, and secure £20,000 in funding we will be able to provide all the chairs, sofas, tables and learning resources to create both an informal space for the day and more casual evening events, and a theatre style seating to host 175 people for our larger events such as comedy nights and ‘Evening’s With’ some of our much loved and inspiring British personalities.
If we go beyond this and hit our stretch goal of £50,000 we will also be able to purchase the AV, lighting and screen infrastructure to create the most incredible events experience. We will be able to bring you high quality sound and lighting making our events stand out just for you. It will create an atmosphere that will encourage big names to perform in our local space, and empower local talent to project their performances and reach their potential.
The Chapel is your space. It is a space to wander and wonder, a space to seek and explore, a space to dream. It’s space to connect and learn. It is a space to discover, it is a space to care, share and smile. It is a space to invent, a space to aspire and inspire. It is a space to relax and enjoy. A space to believe, a space to think and imagine. It’s a space to browse, a space to reflect and peruse, a space to begin and succeed.
We cannot wait to show you around.
This project offered rewards