A Million pounds. Ooph, that’s a lot of money.
But, that is what we have happily spent on the free live music we have put on since we first opened at Harlech Court!
47 thousand pounds. Ooph, that’s also a lot of money.
But, that is what we had to over-extend by, taking on debt, in order to complete the recent move, and the reality is that the only way to claw that 47+K back is, drumroll please…
to ask for your help… again…
There is no profit in what Porter’s is and does. We believe it has value beyond money, for us and for the community.
Porter’s is (currently) set up as a business and not a charity, but it has always behaved like a charity and not a business. We are formally looking to change our shape and become a charity officially. Hopefully this will help us to not only survive, but thrive, expand our activities, and preserve our values long into the future.
But, we need to get through the summer months (a period which has always been a big challenge for us financially, yearly), and we do not know how much harder it will be without ‘that’ courtyard, with the current financial state of the country, and this debt. At the moment, it looks very, very tricky indeed.
A Million pounds. I reckon, at my age, I could retire on that and live the rest of my days very leisurely somewhere warm. But if we were to raise 47 thousand pounds in the next two months, we could definitely do what we are here to do, the thing that drives us, the thing we love, until I drop dead in this building. 47 thousand pounds would allow Porter’s to continue to be what it is for generations to come- a welcoming, safe, and brave place for artists and lovers of art, and all the good things in life.
For me, and I hope for many, that is priceless.
We recognise (have no doubt, we recognise) how hard times are for people, and that we asked for help with the move a few years ago. We thank everyone who helped with that first Crowdfunder, and those who have supported in other ways, but, alas, we did not hit that target and here we are asking for your help again.
Our final plea is that you use us and the other brilliant independent music, arts and hospitality venues of Cardiff. Choose us, the Independents, for your increasingly precious nights out, and to continue to support the arts and incredible artists and hosts of Cardiff.
We have set two targets- one that will allow our survival, the other that will allow us to install elements that will reduce our carbon footprint and increase our biodiversity. And because we all live in an ecosystem, if we can hit those targets and achieve our aims, we would like to share any remaining money with other independent music/arts venues of Cardiff.
I have learned a lot in the years of Porter’s, and never more than I have in the last three years of finding, renovating and relocating the place. There is no doubt in my mind - if we were to go, it would be pretty much impossible for something like Porter’s to exist again anytime in the foreseeable future.
There is so much more to come from this building, so many ways it can better serve and support the audiences and artists of Cardiff, so many ways it can shine bright, so PLEASE consider helping us claw back that 47K (and maybe a bit more)- I promise it will be worth it.
Have a great summer, come and visit us at Porter’s 2.0. Hopefully see you on the other side.
With my total gratitude, for everything
Dan