The Village Butty Relaunch!

AWARD WINNING MUSHROOMS!

The Village Butty is an award winning historic boat that serves as both music venue and community hall on the UK inland waterways system. Recognised for its excellence it won the prestigious Living Waterways Award for ‘Arts, Culture and Events' in 2019.

But  since then the pandemic has treated this unique asset cruelly. No visitors, no income and the rain got in - a lot. There is literally fungus and plants growing from the floorboards!

We recently bought The Village Butty and our project aims to refurbish the boat, restore it to its former glory as a lovely floating music venue and continue its reputation as a valued ‘floating community hall’.  

We are Anna and Richard, the new owners of The Village Butty. Prior to Covid we hosted, for 7 years, "The Relatively Good Radio Show" on Resonance 104.4FM, Londons' multi-award winning arts radio station, as well as promoting gigs and events across the capital, playing in our own band The Relatives and running stages at festivals across the UK.  Our stated aim is to "Increase the overall jollity of the nation".

In real life Anna was a primary school teacher and Richard a film editor. We have both thrown these jobs in to pursue our dream of providing exquisite music in a totally unique location, but to give our dreams wings we would really appreciate your help!

BUTTY AWARDED ARTS COUNCIL ENGLAND GRANT

We applied for and have recently been granted significant funds to renovate the Village Butty and although we are now supported using public funding by the National Lottery through Arts Council England we have to prove to our generous donors (quite rightly) that we are sustainable and realistic - and must provide other streams of income, so that we are not totally reliant upon the grant.  Hence this crowdfunding campaign. 

There are many many things that the Butty required when we bought it - a push tug, a new roof, new floor, new canopies, new electrics, new solar power, new licence, new safety certificate, new chairs, new tables, new nearly everything! 

But we feel that a hardwearing, ecologically sustainable and beautiful new wooden floor would make stepping onto The Butty a truly breath taking experience, and serve the boat well for the foreseeable future. We'd like anyone who ever visits to leave feeling they have been somewhere almost magical. The Butty is after all one of the very very last wrought iron vessels ever constructed in Britain. It has recognised historic status from the Canal and River Trust and we want it to become a national treasure. We'd really like to make the Butty excellent for ever, and so are asking for six grant to provide the very best wooden floor the UK's forests, woods and craftsmen can supply. Then we'd like you all to come and dance on it".