Newbury’s Old Library public fundraising campaign passes first £100,000 milestone
Following the great result of £12,500 raised by the Al Murray comedy evening, the Corn Exchange have announced that they have hit their next fundraising milestone for the Old Library campaign, with supporters having helped raise an amazing £102,461.
Corn Exchange director Jessica Jhundoo-Evans said: “In March we launched our public fundraising campaign to redevelop the Old Library into an arts hub for the local community and as a new permanent home for our creative participation work.
“We are delighted to share that we have this week passed the £100,000 mark from public donations, which is a wonderful achievement!
“Thank you to everyone who has contributed to this, bringing our total fundraised amount to over £1.8 million, including the support from Greenham Trust and other trusts and foundations.”
Once completed the Old Library will become a community hub for Newbury and home to the Corn Exchange's creative participation work. Participation in their creative activities provides a lifeline to many local people: reducing social isolation and loneliness within the community; improving mental health locally; and supporting young people in building confidence and self-esteem.
The campaign still has a long way to go before the Corn Exchange Newbury can reopen the Old Library so that more, and more local people can benefit from the positive impact that engagement in creative activity can have.
There are several ways people can support the campaign and the Corn Exchange have put together a useful guide as to how the community can get involved in raising funds for the campaign.
You can find out more about this at https://cornexchangenew.com/support/can-you-help-us-fundraise-for-the-old-library
There are lots of events coming up over the summer and autumn too:
All proceeds from these events will go towards the Old Library Campaign to open the new arts hub in Newbury.:
The first event to get involved in is the Danceathon on Sunday, September 1. This fun-filled fundraiser will run for 10 hours where there will be dance teachers leading fun sessions throughout the day, local DJ’s mixing some tunes and the chance to party with your friends! By registering to take part in the Danceathon the Corn Exchange ask that you commit to raising sponsorship for the Old Library Campaign. Once signed up participants will receive a welcome pack that has everything you need to know about fundraising. Help the Corn Exchange raise funds for the Old Library campaign by getting sponsored for completing as much of the 10 hours as possible.
Then on Sunday, September 8, the Corn Exchange will be holding an Open Mic Night fundraiser. They have been holding regular Open Mic Nights in their balcony bar with great success over the recent months, but this fundraiser will be bigger and better than ever, taking place in the main auditorium, allowing local performers to showcase their talents on the main stage with a much larger audience. From live music and spoken word to spellbinding magic and much more, there will be something for everyone to enjoy. People who are interested in performing at this friendly event can get in touch by emailing boxoffice@cornexchangenew.co.uk.
On Wednesday, September 11, join BBC Bargain Hunt Auctioneer Thomas Forrester for An Old Library Fundraising Evening at the Corn Exchange. Thomas will speak about his career as an auctioneer and his time being on the TV starting back at the beginning with some amusing tales of his foray into the antiques business. The event also gives audience members a chance to bring along a small antique or collectable and enter the free draw to have the item valued on stage by Thomas. Audience members who have brought items will be drawn at random to go on stage and tell the audience what their item is and why they bought it, and Thomas will give a valuation.
Last but certainly not least, there will be a Fundraising Quiz on Thursday, September 26. This quiz will give people the chance to rally a team of up to six people together, enjoy some delicious drinks from the Corn Exchange Bar and battle it out to become the champions.
For more information on these fundraising events visit https://cornexchangenew.com/events/old-library-fundraising-events or contact the box office on boxoffice@cornexchangenew.co.uk or 01635 522733.
Visit https://cornexchangenew.com/support/oldlibrary to learn more about the Old Library campaign or to donate
