Beloved regional theatre aims to double donations for Big Give campaign

• Gosforth Civic Theatre will be taking part in the Big Give’s Arts for Impact Campaign later this month

• The theatre aims to raise £10,000 in just one week, which will see all donations generously matched by Big Give’s Champions

• Organisations and individuals are invited to support this unique venue, which creates opportunities for those with learning disabilities to thrive in the arts

A charity-run theatre venue north of Newcastle has been given a very special opportunity to double its donations and build on the incredible work it does in the arts and for meaningful social change.

Gosforth Civic Theatre (GCT) has been selected to take part in the Big Give’s Arts for Impact campaign and double its donations.

For just one week, all donations raised for GCT will be generously matched by Big Give’s Champions, including The Reed Foundation, The Arts Council and many others, to double the difference.

The theatre, which was first established to give people with learning disabilities the opportunity to work and thrive in the arts sector, has set a target to raise £10,000 from Tuesday 18th March to Tuesday 25th March.

All money raised will enable GCT to continue to provide inclusive and engaging cultural activities for people in the local community, with and without learning disabilities. 

The funds will also help the organisation to run its impressive 200-seat theatre, which programmes a wide range of high-quality theatre, dance and music, from local, national, and international artists for its diverse community of patrons to enjoy.

Ed, Founding Company Member and Trustee with lived experience, commented:

“We need to raise money to keep the theatre open, This year during the Big Give our target is to raise £10,000, and we need everybody's help to make it happen”

Rob Huggins, CEO added.

“We need our communities support more than ever, the ongoing increase in costs means we need to work together to keep GCT open for everyone…In order to access the £5,000 we have in the Big Give matching pot, we need to raise £5,000 in online donations via the Big Give website. We hope everyone in our community will give generously to help us reach our target!”

To learn more and to donate to the campaign, visit GCT’s Big Give page from 12pm (midday) on Tuesday 18th March.

About the campaign 

Big Give is partnering with New Philanthropy for Arts & Culture (NPAC), a network of arts supporters who are passionate about increasing philanthropic support of the arts and culture sector, to launch our inaugural Arts for Impact campaign aimed at supporting arts and culture charities working to achieve societal impact across the UK. 

The campaign will see the public’s generosity multiplied, as donations to the participating charities will be doubled by the Big Give’s Arts for Impact match fund, which has been supported by generous ‘champions’, typically philanthropists, foundations or companies. It’s a simple idea- when the public donates to a charity through Big Give, we ask funders (philanthropists, foundations or corporates) to match that donation. So £50 from a member of the public becomes £100 for a good cause. Match funding is provided by a range of philanthropic organisations, called ‘Champions’ including The Reed Foundation, The Arts Council and many others.