Brighton Dome & Brighton Festival announce a match fund grant of up to £250,000 from The Roddick Foundation in support of its £21.2 million project to redevelop the Brighton Dome Corn Exchange and Studio Theatre.
THE PLEDGE offers to double the impact of the organisation’s ‘Build Brighton Dome’ Community Appeal by matching public donations pound for pound.
The major refurbishment – the first phase of a wider project to restore and reunite the Royal Pavilion Estate – has already attracted significant donations from the National Lottery through Arts Council England (ACE) and Heritage Lottery Fund (HLF), and the Coast to Capital Local Growth fund, as well as commitments from the city council, charitable trusts and individual patrons.
Reviving long-lost heritage features and creating new state-of-the-art facilities, key developments include a magnificent Corn Exchange viewing gallery, a dedicated creative space for workshops and rehearsals, and a new street-facing café opening out onto New Road.
The Roddick Foundation grant will provide a significant boost to the organisation’s ‘Build Brighton Dome’ Community Appeal, which aims to reach out to the local communities as well as visitors to the city to help complete the transformational project. With a public fundraising target of £250,000, the pledge has the potential to double its impact, by offering to match donations pound for pound.
Co-founded by Anita & Gordon Roddick in 1997, the Roddick Foundation is an independent organisation dedicated to supporting visionary organisations and individuals who show leadership and results in making this a more just and kind world.
Dame Anita Roddick, a Brighton businesswoman, human rights activist and environmental campaigner, who is best known as the co-founder of The Body Shop was a trustee of Brighton Dome & Brighton Festival before her passing in 2007.
The Trustees of The Roddick Foundation said: “We recognise that Brighton Dome & Brighton Festival plays a vital role in developing culture in the city and in the local community of Brighton and Hove. We are delighted to have agreed a contribution of up to £250,000 towards the campaign to redevelop this historic venue. The funds will be put towards the ‘Build Brighton Dome’ appeal and we know Anita would have welcomed this legacy of adventure for artists and the local community.”
Andrew Comben, Chief Executive Brighton Dome & Brighton Festival added: “We are hugely grateful to The Roddick Foundation for their support of our city, our role within it, and this campaign. Anita and The Roddick Foundation have enabled the organisation to take creative risks through the relationship we have enjoyed to date and this renewed endorsement is fantastic. The refurbishment of these historic buildings will benefit thousands of lives in our city and beyond. Our audience, our artists, the young people and children we work with and local businesses will benefit immensely from the new spaces and facilities.”
Cllr Alan Robins, Chair of Brighton & Hove City Council’s Tourism, Development & Culture committee, said: “This is brilliant news for the Brighton Dome appeal and a huge step towards reaching the restoration goals for one of our city’s most beautiful heritage buildings. We’re extremely lucky that arts and culture is such a celebrated part of our city’s make-up and to have this support is crucial to enhancing and protecting it for generations to come.”
The works at Brighton Dome Corn Exchange and Studio Theatre are the first phase of a wider project to re-affirm Brighton’s Royal Pavilion Estate as a key cultural destination by equipping it for a sustainable future.
The longer-term vision aims to reunite the historic Estate created by George IV in the early 19th century to create a centre for heritage, culture and the performing arts which reflects the unique spirit of Brighton. The project will develop, deepen and broaden the cultural tourism offer of Brighton & Hove and significantly contribute to the city’s cultural and economic wellbeing.
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