We're still collecting donations
On the 30th April 2020 we'd raised £4,020 with 89 supporters in 42 days. But as every pound matters, we're continuing to collect donations from supporters.
Help keep our safe space secure for all our members - by supporting a vast array of creative freelancers from diverse backgrounds.
by aire-place-studios in Leeds, England, United Kingdom
On the 30th April 2020 we'd raised £4,020 with 89 supporters in 42 days. But as every pound matters, we're continuing to collect donations from supporters.
Due to public health recommendations regarding COVID-19 we have had to cancel events, workshops and exhibitions that were planned to go ahead in April meaning losses of up to £5000. The income from these events is what allows Aire Place Studios to pay our rent and bills.
Due to recent guidelines from the government, we have had to close APS completely even to our studio members now. This has had a huge impact on many of our members who work from APS and require us to be open to allow their business to function. The financial implications this will have on our studio will also hit us hard over the coming weeks/months. In more detail, a number of studio membership contracts have had to come to an end. While we are being advised to self isolate and follow guidelines of social distancing, it will be highly unlikely these spaces are filled again, meaning more financial loss and more creative business lost and not able to access the regular support they receive from APS.
Because of the uncertainty of the upcoming months, and whether we will have to cancel events beyond April we are asking for help to keep Aire Place Studios running for 3 months.
Over winter we go through our low season, with April marking the start of our peak season. Without our standard events, exhibitions, workshops starting in April our winter reserves will soon run out. With added pressure of empty studios we are at financial risk of having no leeway to take strain.
The money will be used to:
· Help keep our safe space secure for our members.
· Help keep our Fareshare full! Our Fareshare box contains food and basics for our studios members who encounter harder times, or even if they have forgotten their pack lunch to keep them fed. These are often donated by other studios member and stocked up by the board.
· Allow us the freedom to offer any more vulnerable or affected members subsidies or rent free periods.
· Cover payment for staff – currently all our staff are freelance with no sick pay and no back up if work is cancelled.
· Cover our rent, bills and any necessary repairs on our buildings.
Aire Place Studios is a predominantly volunteer and member led creative studio / Community Interest Company, which focuses on using any profit for a purpose. APS offers low cost workspaces and runs a community Hub which focuses on giving a platform to artists and creatives who wouldn’t traditionally have had such opportunities due to barriers including lack of funds and/or confidence, mental illness, gender, sexuality, and ethnicity.
We are not just a company, we are a community - made up of 50 members including artists, musicians, writers, and small business owners who use our studios as their workspace day to day.
As most of our members work freelance in their creative fields, they rely on our space being open for them to work in order to generate an income, as well as income from events – which are being cancelled.
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