The global COVID-19 pandemic has a huge amount of pressure on our education system as well as businesses and the NHS. Our company usually serves hundreds of schools a year, which equates to over 150,000 a year.
Covid-19 has completely dismantled the very fabric of not our UK outreach services, but our local and national support for special needs groups, charities and large career events.
Year on year, we invest 100% of our profits in reaching more audiences, deprived audiences and those in real need. We're proud to be the only UK planetarium who offer a fully subsidised visit to schools, and charities especially, where we cover part of the cost.
Since March 2020, we have been temporarily closed, only able to a reduced online version of services. We have maintained a high level of charity work, including the procurement and donation of thousands of facemasks across the UK. Our company decided to absorb the as much of the cost, to ensure the venture remained as cost neutral to the customer. We're proud to have services carehomes, councils when they really need us, and wish we could do more.
Despite our best efforts to make as much of our learning online and virtual for free, we ran out of finances over the summer, and have now decided to take on loans to keep the business, its teams and services afloat. As CEO I am committed to saving all the jobs our company provides, all the outreach we provide to schools, and all the organisations we support including charities dealing with food, cloths and urgent services.
Funding, will help the company in the following areas.
- Keep our schools learning with our award-winning programs and vital extra curricular learning, we have done so well for so many years
- Keep our education teams in work, taking off the pressure of debt our company has acquired to ensure people remain in work
- Keep our most vulnerable learners, and those from disadvantage backgrounds mentally supported through our programs, shows and performances which are currently all on hold since March
- Keep some of our overheads in check, where currently we have over £100.000 in company stock and equipment in danger of being sold off, as we can not hire out currently
- Finally, since we wont the Best Planetarium Specialist 2019, by SME Magazine, London we have promoted our british brand nationally with increased attention from customers abroad. Our brand alone has seen income from abroad increase, thanks to our high quality learning and entertainment. Funds, will help us increase the income brought in from abroad for use to distribute here in the UK, benefitting our customers, clients and staff on ground level.
As CEO, I have refused to take a salary until this pandemic has passes and our business is afloat. I have directed all remaining funds to staff, and schools who need our help, including appointing the UK's ONLY woman planetarium director who is now innovating our way forwards into the future