To support young people and The BASE
From today until 10th December, The Guildhall Trust, the charity behind the operation of Portsmouth Guildhall, will be taking part in the Big Give’s national Christmas Challenge which will see donations made during the campaign DOUBLED!
Every penny donated to the Guildhall’s Big Give Christmas Challenge will go to empowering young creatives and transforming lives through The BASE, an exciting, new creative space for young people, which offers free access to state of the art equipment and facilities, creative workshops and skills development opportunities.
The BASE allows young people to explore their passions, connect with like minded people and collaborate on creative projects, fostering a vibrant community where creativity flourishes, friendships are formed, and dreams are realised. Removing barriers to engagement, The BASE prioritises those who do not have access to creative opportunities and offers a nurturing environment for those with heightened anxiety or poor mental health.
The Guildhall Trust aims to raise £10,000 in just 1 week! All donations made by supporters will be generously matched by the Trust’s Big Give Champions, Molson Coors and Hampshire Cricket Foundation, meaning that your money will make double the difference!
Fundraising and Development Manager for The Guildhall Trust, Christina Micklewright, said “This is the first time the Trust has taken part in the Big Give, so we are really excited to launch our Christmas Challenge today! Many people don’t realise that Portsmouth Guildhall is run by a charity and aren’t aware of the extensive Get Involved programme of activities that the Trust delivers for the community, so this is a great way of raising awareness. Many of the groups that the Trust supports and the team at Portsmouth Guildhall have been holding fundraising events and it is fantastic to see so many people keen to support the amazing work that is being done!”
The BASE at Portsmouth Guildhall was launched in the summer following a £1.3million transformation of the venue’s basement into a creative space for 11-25 year olds, which offers FREE access to a band room, production studio, multimedia suite with specialist software, a lounge, exhibition and performance spaces and creative workshops led by industry professionals. 270 young people have currently signed up for The BASE membership and this is growing quickly.
Seonaid, a Facilitator of the Build a Band workshops being run in The BASE said, “I think it’s really healthy for young people to have somewhere to go and make music that’s not a school or someone’s garage! The BASE is somewhere neutral for them to come together and be creative. It’s really well equipped, it’s got a really good ambience to it and it’s nice to see young people get together, build each other up, and get out there to do something out of their comfort zone.”
George, who formed a band whilst at school but struggled to find suitable rehearsal space, has been attending The BASE weekly since it opened, which has allowed his band to develop their style, refine their sound, and they were recently given the opportunity to perform live on the Guildhall main stage at the Takedown Festival showcase event.
George said, “It’s nice to just have a place where you can go and just play to your heart’s content, as loud as you want, with amps everywhere. And if you don’t have an instrument, there’s instruments everywhere, and leads. If you don’t have anything, you can still just play here and do whatever you want.”
All donations made to the Guildhall’s Big Give Christmas Challenge will go to supporting the growing number of young people engaged and benefitting from The BASE and remember that all donations made between 3-10th December will be DOUBLED!
Find out more and make a donation to the Big Give Christmas Challenge at: The Big Give Christmas Challenge