WHY WE NEED YOUR HELP
The Red Brick Building in Glastonbury, Somerset is a former sheepskin factory, known as Morlands that has been transformed into a vibrant community centre for all.
We have some unexpected emergency repair works required. Eight of the nine internal pillars and a section of flooring that support our music and community events space in the building are crumbling and need immediate repair. The projected cost for this repair work is £117,000.
This leaves our grassroots music venue and well used community centre at risk.
Each Pillar will cost us and estimated £9000 to rebuild and we are hoping the community will come together and help us raise enough to rebuild a pillar while we work hard to raise money from funders and sponsors for the rest.
ABOUT THE RED BRICK BUILDING COMMUNITY CENTRE LTD
The Red Brick Building is a community owned social enterprise offering a vibrant and creative space where everyone is welcome. Any profit we make is used for community impact through arts, education and enterprise. We are a Community Benefit Society with an asset lock, registered with the FCA 30755R.
In our community garden, we support groups and individuals, improving mental and physical wellbeing, reaching out to those most in need whilst also raising awareness of nutrition, sustainability and growing organic.
To support local enterprise, we offer co-working with affordable workspaces with low cost hot desks and artisan units and our lovely light studio provides a low-cost community hire space, popular with Yoga classes, art workshops and wellbeing sessions.
A larger multifunctional events space hosts a diverse range of music gigs, comedy shows, performances and community events each week. National artists who have performed here include Toploader, Jah Wobble, Mark Chadwick, Jack Bessant, James Acaster, Mark Thomas and Milton Jones.
We also support local musicians, DJ's, young event promoters, and music students by providing a professional music venue without the high price tag. Our Event Space is also home to ‘The Snug’ by Glastonbury Mental Health Network, which is a weekly free community drop-in that supports local people by providing signposting and creative activities for mental wellbeing.
For young people we offer a popular weekly youth club with the YMCA and endeavour to encourage young people to be part of the community centre by providing opportunities such as work experience and volunteering.
SUPPORT YOUR LOCAL MUSIC, ARTS, ENTERPRISE & COMMUNITY CENTRE
For these urgent repair works the estimated cost per pillar is £9,000 and we need eight pillars repaired. The additional cost of the floor repairs take the total to approximately £117,000. We need to raise these funds quickly to complete the work during our quietest time of the year, July and August and ensure we can continue running by fully reopening in September.
Thanks to the generosity of Keith at TML Building Services Ltd and Burns the Bread we already have two pillars sponsored.
YOU CAN HELP US BY:
- Spreading the word and sharing this to those who value the Red Brick Building community centre and local grassroots music venues.
- Support us with a donation which will help us raise funds to rebuild the pillars, any contribution counts and we are hoping many hands will help raise the funds we need.
- making a donation will also help us apply to funders that request matched funds.
- If you are a business or individual that would like to sponsor a whole pillar, half pillar or quarter pillar please do get in touch we would appreciate your support and we are offering a sponsorship package.
WHAT WILL BE YOUR IMPACT ?
Your donation will help secure the structural integrity of the Red Brick Building and allow us to continue offering vital community services. We are a Community Benefit Society, owned by the community and run by a small dedicated team of staff and volunteers. Our impact includes creating spaces for work, wellbeing, and enrichment, and offering opportunities in arts, education, and enterprise.
By collaborating with like-minded organisations such as Glastonbury Mental Health Network, Feed Avalon, and YMCA, we achieve outcomes such as increased confidence, improved wellbeing, enhanced skills and education, and cultural experiences. These contributions lead to long-term benefits such as reduced isolation, increased employability, raised aspirations, a stronger local economy, improved mental health, and a more resilient community.
We will be able to continue building on the delivery of significant impact through:
Education – offering diverse educational programmes, teaching valuable skills such as gardening, cooking, digital literacy, and more.
Creative Spaces – providing space for local artists to work, collaborate and exhibit work.
Community Engagement – such as our Morlands and Baily's Heritage project and hosting social events such as the up-and-coming heritage cafe that foster community spirit and a sense of belonging.
Support for Local Businesses - providing low cost workspaces to grow, and coworking to encourage peer-to-peer support and collaboration.
Mental Health and Well-being through initiatives and activities aimed at promoting mental health and wellbeing such as our weekly community drop-in 'The Snug' and courses, workshops and volunteering in the community garden.
Youth Engagement - offering a safe and supportive environment at our weekly youth club working in collaboration with YMCA and offering support with young people’s events. We support Strode College students whenever possible by offering work experience and an affordable venue for performances.
Environmental - promoting sustainability and awareness through projects and workshops.
Cultural Events - celebrating diversity and bringing the community together with music, comedy and theatre as well as offering affordable venue hire for community use.
Volunteering - Volunteering - All our work and initiatives support a broad range of volunteering opportunities, and our dedicated team of volunteers are welcomed and hugely valued by us. Volunteering can be beneficial for many reasons, including providing social interactions, giving back to the community, improving CV's, gaining work experience, and providing a sense of purpose and enjoyment.
Further information on our impact in the community that you will be directly supporting can be found at this link Red Brick Building's Community Impact
FAQ's
What happens if I donate and you don't make the target?
Every penny that's donated will be spent on repairing the pillars. If we don't make the target we will keep the money as restricted funds and continue to fundraise through donations, funders and sponsors until do reach the target and are complete the Pillar.
What about the money given for Building C, 'The Life Factory'?
Money awarded for ‘The Life Factory Project’ is restricted to that project, and cannot be spent on the current, functioning Red Brick Building community centre and so cannot be used for these urgent repairs, leaving our current project at risk.
If you have any further questions please do not hesitate to get in touch.
Thank you for considering this opportunity to make a lasting impact on the Red Brick Building and the community we all serve.