#SupportArvon: the home of creative writing

Aim

We need your help to raise £50,000 to support Arvon and the livelihoods of writers while our writing houses are closed due to the pandemic.

About Arvon

"The single most important organisation for sharing and exploring creative writing in the UK." - Dame Carol Ann Duffy 

Arvon is the UK's leading creative writing charity. We produce city-based and residential courses tutored by established professional writers year-round. Sadly, our writing houses will have to remain closed for at least 12 months due to the Covid-19 pandemic. We need your help to support writers during these difficult times. 

Run by a small, committed team with a simple formula that's as effective now as it was when Arvon began in 1968, we are proud that Arvon has had a deep and lasting influence on literature in the UK. Generations of writers acknowledge the significance of Arvon to their careers. Our residential courses, which take place in our historic writing houses in Devon, Shropshire and Yorkshire, are tutored by many of the UK's leading writers. Not only do these courses provide expert tutelage for all, but they provide essential employment for freelance writers and funding for Arvon's Grant Fund for low-income writers.

We work with over 500 young people and vulnerable adults from across the UK each year, many from the country's most disadvantaged communities. Our work with these young people, marginalised communities, and those underrepresented in the creative industries provides a crucial space for the voices and creative expression of those who may otherwise go unheard.

Why we are crowdfunding

The Covid-19 pandemic has forced us to close all three writing houses for the first time in our history. They will have to remain closed for at least 12 months, resulting in over £1m in lost course income. We have taken every possible step to reduce expenditure - furloughing our staff, making our houses available for holiday lets and for socially-distanced retreats, and deferring maintenance. To offset lost income, we have launched our digital offering Arvon at Home to great success. Furthermore, we have been overwhelmed by the generosity of our funders and supporters, who have donated nearly £300,000 to date.

Unfortunately this cannot outweigh the loss of income caused by our inability to run our residentials as usual. We need your help to raise £50,000 to help Arvon weather the challenging months ahead and emerge intact from this difficult period.

The money will support the livelihoods of hundreds of writers in an insecure time; enable us to retain our staff; go towards the maintenance of our houses so that they can reopen when it is safe to do so; and enable hundreds of disadvantaged young people to unlock their creative potential.

"Arvon is one of the most important literature development organisations in Britain. Most of the writers I know, including myself, have attended their courses as students, both before and after they’ve embarked on professional careers themselves." - Booker Prize-winner Bernardine Evaristo MBE

Thank you for your support

We have been overwhelmed by the generous support we have received so far. We recognise that this is a time of uncertainty for many, and any donation, however large or small, will play an invaluable role in helping secure Arvon's future.

We look forward to welcoming you back to our writing houses as soon as possible.

Andrew Kidd, Chief Executive & Artistic Director

This project successfully funded on 27th December 2020