Save BGWMC - Fighting Fund

Since the rally in July, Friends of Bethnal Green Working Men’s Club have been working behind the scenes to protect the club. The club is now open, it is an Asset of Community Value, and it now officially has the planning protections of a Cabaret Theatre (Use-class Sui Generis).

However, BGWMC is very much still in danger of being sold to developers. 

The good news is that the rally, the petition and the open letter to Tower Hamlets at the end of 2024 have succeeded in bringing the local Mayor to the table. 13k of you signed the petition in July, and almost 5000 of you wrote directly to the Mayor. We are now in direct contact with the Mayor’s office discussing how they can support our community bid for the building. 

Whether you turned up to the rally in July, signed the petition, or wrote to the Tower Hamlets Mayor, you are the reason the club is not yet on the market.

The past 6 months have been a complex negotiation with the sellers, and we haven't been in a position to ask for your financial support until now. But we’re now ready to take the campaign to the next stage…

This Crowdfunder is to build a fighting fund in the campaign to save BGWMC.

What does this mean?

We think the best hope for the club is either:

• Tower Hamlets council purchases it, holds it as an asset and leases it back to the community
• FoBGWMC succeed in a community purchase and attain the lease or freehold of the building

For either option we need some time and money to build our case that a community / council purchase can be a viable investment for Tower Hamlets.

We need to do a detailed building survey and valuation so that we are fully informed to make a strong bid. Due to the building’s grade II listing, and its planning protections as a cultural venue, this will not be a cheap process.

We also need to develop a business plan and financial projections for the new society. If Friends of Bethnal Green Working Mens Club succeed in attaining the lease or the freehold for the building, we must demonstrate a clear and financially viable plan for the future of the building. We are lucky to have many people working hard giving their time and advice for free to the campaign, but we have to budget responsibly for the cost of consultants and accountants in putting this together.

This work is expensive, and it is currently the biggest thing holding us back from getting Tower Hamlets to commit to supporting our bid.

What will happen next?

We want our community of performers, punters, programmers, and trade union members to own this space. The club has more than 100 years of history as a community owned space. We believe community ownership is the only way to guarantee it will survive for future generations.

We don't know when the sellers will put it on the market. But once this happens it will start the clock, and we will have 6 months to submit our community bid under the terms of the Asset of Community Value.

We need to be ready for when it goes on the market.

The next significant stage of the campaign will be to open up the community share offer and allow the whole community to become a member and shareholder in the society. We think this community has the power to raise a significant amount of money, but it might not be enough to make a winning bid. That is why our relationship with Tower Hamlets is crucial.

Support the fighting fund!

If we can hit this target in 6 weeks, we will be ready for whatever comes next! It's so important that we keep up the momentum of this campaign. It is all of our responsibility to spread the word and share this fighting fund far and wide. Help us take this campaign one step closer to saving Bethnal Green Working Men's Club ❤️

Cost breakdown

The £12,000 target will pay for a full chartered survey and valuation of the building, as well as the planning application costs which will put vital protections on the building.  

The extended target of £18,000 will allow us to develop a robust business plan with financial projections and cover all consultancy and accountancy costs. 

If we are lucky enough to hit this extended target, we will keep the fund open and rolling. Any contribution you make now will help us to develop the campaign and continue working at pace to save the club.  

Know that there will be an opportunity at the next stage of the campaign to invest and become a community shareholder of Friends of Bethnal Green Working Men’s Club. But we must jump these hurdles first to be able to progress the campaign.