A campaign to save Southampton’s The Joiners has surpassed its £7,000 target in less than a week.
Head of booking and promotion Ricky Bates had warned the storied venue, which is due to celebrate its 50th year in 2018, was in danger of closure if “critical” repairs were not carried out. But, after supporters rallied round, the fund now stands at £9,275 after just six days.
“Thank you so much to everyone who has supported us this week, we will be closing the gofundme page later tonight,” wrote Bates.
Upon launching the campaign, he said: “There are number of critical repairs that if not carried out very soon will mean we will not be able to keep the venue open far into the future,” wrote Bates.
“The building is subject to an ‘all repairing’ lease which means we are responsible for the general wear and tear of the building at now over 100 years old.
“The joiners is not a profit making business but exists to provide a platform for emerging and local artists and during festival season we operate at a loss, therefore we currently have no funds to carry out this work.
“We are an independent business and some our staff even work voluntarily to keep the place going. We would really appreciate your help to keep the Joiners thriving into its 50th year next year.”
“If you can spare anything please help us to keep this musical community hub flowing and to continue to do what you all love coming here so much for!
“If you are generous enough to donate £10 or above, we will donate back in return 1 free entry to any Joiners gig with a ticket price of £5 or below valid until the end of October 2017.”
The Joiners was crowned NME’s Best Small Venue in 2015 and has hosted the likes of Arctic Monkeys, Oasis, Kasabian, The Verve, Radiohead and Ed Sheeran.
