Latest news with #BethnalGreenWorkingMen'sClub
Yahoo
12-03-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
East London LGBTQ space under threat needs £12k in a month for 'fighting fund' to buy site
A donation page has been launched to create a 'fighting fund' to support the next stages of a campaign to save the queer-friendly venue, Bethnal Green Working Men's Club in East London. Friends of Bethnal Green Working Men's Club (FoBGWMC) have set up a fundraiser with an initial target of raising £12,000 by April 8 - at the time of writing over £10,000 has been raised. The money raised will go towards a full chartered survey and valuation of the Grade II listed building, and will help pay for a planning bid which FoBGWMC hope will persuade Tower Hamlets Council to save the club. A Tower Hamlets Council spokesperson said its Corporate Director for Housing Regeneration has met with campaigners and is working with them to find the 'best way forward' to protect the venue. Last summer, the owners of the building announced they were looking to sell the venue and handed the club a two-month eviction notice - which left many self-employed drag artists and cabaret acts who performed at the club struggling to make ends meet. A campaign was quickly launched and performing arts and entertainment trade union Equity created an online petition urging the owners to halt plans to close the venue. The petition was signed by over 13,000 people. READ MORE: 'I saw Teddy Swims live and his voice is flawless - here's how to still get London tickets' READ MORE: Teddy Swims last-minute tickets and where to buy for Wembley Arena gigs now Following a successful rally outside the venue on Pollard Row which helped to stop the eviction, the council designated the building as an Asset of Community Value (ACV). Now the building has been recognised as an ACV, the local community has the chance to submit a 'Right to Bid' if the building goes up on sale. The building is currently owned by a group called Boro of Bethnal Green Working Men's Club. FoGWMC said despite the continued success of the club, the proceeds of the sale will be shared between 50 different individuals, which they fear could end 130 years of working-class community ownership. FoBGWMC are also concerned that the venue could go on the market at any time, so are crowdfunding to develop their community bid as they will have six months to submit it once it goes up for sale. The group is hoping the council will either buy the club and lease it back to them, or that the council will allow FoBGWMC to buy the club themselves. The club has since reopened and FoBGWMC member, Dan de la Motte said there are plans to host fundraising events to help support the community bid. Dan de la Motte, who is also an Equity councillor, told the Local Democracy Reporting Service (LDRS): "I would really encourage Bethnal Green punters, both new and old, to come to the club to show their support and show their solidarity and if they can, donate a bit of money to the campaign and to the cause. "It's been there for decades, it's been there for generations, it's about passing on the baton of queer joy and queer fun at night to the generations that are coming through after us." He added: "This space provides a vital function, a vital service, clubs are closing at a really concerning rate and there are fewer and fewer LGBTQ+ specific night time spaces. "Bethnal Green Working Men's Club has been there for as long as I can remember and has always been there and has always been this safe haven, this pocket of joy and resilience and strength and mischief and that's why it's so, so vital." The FoBGWMC's has an initial fundraising target of £12,000 with an extended target of £18,000 which would cover all consultancy and accountancy costs, as well as creating a 'robust' business plan. A spokesperson for Tower Hamlets Council said the club is an important venue for the borough's LGBTQIA+ community, particularly at a time where there is a decline in these spaces across London. They said: "This is why the council has approved an application for the Bethnal Green Working Men's Club to be an Asset of Community Value. "We have not received notice of the owner's intention to sell the property and we are not aware of the building being marketed as 'for sale'. We have contacted the freeholder for further details and about their obligation to inform us of any intention to sell. The council's Corporate Director for Housing Regeneration has met with the campaign and we are working with them to find the best way forward to protect this important venue." They went on to say: "The club was established in the 1950s and in planning terms its use is as a cultural venue. Such venues are protected by the policies outlined in the Tower Hamlets Local Plan and the London Plan. Consequently, any proposed changes to the property's use that require planning permission would be evaluated in accordance with these policies, which aim to preserve such venues from being lost." Want more from MyLondon? Sign up to our daily newsletters for all the latest and greatest from across London here
Yahoo
12-03-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Fund set up to save working men's club hits target
A "fighting fund" set up to save Bethnal Green Working Men's Club (BGWMC) has surpassed its initial fundraising target. The LGBT-friendly venue in east London was given a two-month eviction notice in June 2024. An online petition was then launched to halt plans to close the venue, where some scenes from Netflix's Baby Reindeer were filmed. Friends of Bethnal Green Working Men's Club (FoBGWMC) said more than £14,000 had been raised so far in donations. It said the fund formed the next stage of the campaign. The building is owned by a group called the Boro of Bethnal Green Working Men's Club. The local council said it was helping "to find the best way forward to protect this important venue". The online petition was launched by actors' union Equity, which described the venue as a "crucial and irreplaceable fixture of London's cultural heritage". Money raised by FoBGWMC would pay for a full chartered survey and valuation of the building, and pay for the planning application costs, the Local Democracy Reporting Service. An extended target of £18,000 would allow the group to develop a robust business plan with financial projections and to cover all consultancy and accountancy costs. The aim is to build an investment case for one of two preferred outcomes: for Tower Hamlets Council to buy the club and then lease it back to FoBGWMC, or for the council to allow FoBGWMC to purchase the club themselves. FoBGWMC said despite the ongoing success of the club, the owners wanted to sell the building, with the proceeds shared between about 50 individuals, potentially ending 130 years of working-class community ownership. More than half of London's LGBTQ+ venues closed between 2006 and 2022, Greater London Authority data shows. FoBGWMC said if it reached its extended target, it would still keep the fundraiser "open and rolling". FoBGWMC member Dan de la Motte said: "It's been there for generations, it's about passing on the baton of queer joy and queer fun at night to the generations that are coming through after us." He added: "This space provides a vital function, a vital service, clubs are closing at a really concerning rate and there are fewer and fewer LGBTQ+ specific night time spaces. "BGWMC has been there for as long as I can remember and has always been there and has always been this safe haven, this pocket of joy and resilience and strength and mischief and that's why it's so, so vital." A spokesperson for Tower Hamlets Council said: "We have not received notice of the owner's intention to sell the property and we are not aware of the building being marketed as 'for sale'. "We have contacted the freeholder for further details and about their obligation to inform us of any intention to sell." The spokesperson said the council's corporate director for housing regeneration had met with campaigners and the authority was working with them to find a solution. Listen to the best of BBC Radio London on Sounds and follow BBC London on Facebook, X and Instagram. Send your story ideas to Fighting fund set up to save working men's club Rally held to save Bethnal Green Working Men's Club Tower Hamlets Council Local Democracy Reporting Service
BBC News
12-03-2025
- Entertainment
- BBC News
Fund to save Bethnal Green Working Men's Club hits target
A "fighting fund" set up to save Bethnal Green Working Men's Club (BGWMC) has surpassed its initial fundraising target. The LGBT-friendly venue in east London was given a two-month eviction notice in June 2024. An online petition was then launched to halt plans to close the venue, where some scenes from Netflix's Baby Reindeer were of Bethnal Green Working Men's Club (FoBGWMC) said more than £14,000 had been raised so far in donations. It said the fund formed the next stage of the campaign. The building is owned by a group called the Boro of Bethnal Green Working Men's Club. The local council said it was helping "to find the best way forward to protect this important venue". The online petition was launched by actors' union Equity, which described the venue as a "crucial and irreplaceable fixture of London's cultural heritage".Money raised by FoBGWMC would pay for a full chartered survey and valuation of the building, and pay for the planning application costs, the Local Democracy Reporting extended target of £18,000 would allow the group to develop a robust business plan with financial projections and to cover all consultancy and accountancy aim is to build an investment case for one of two preferred outcomes: for Tower Hamlets Council to buy the club and then lease it back to FoBGWMC, or for the council to allow FoBGWMC to purchase the club said despite the ongoing success of the club, the owners wanted to sell the building, with the proceeds shared between about 50 individuals, potentially ending 130 years of working-class community ownership. More than half of London's LGBTQ+ venues closed between 2006 and 2022, Greater London Authority data said if it reached its extended target, it would still keep the fundraiser "open and rolling".FoBGWMC member Dan de la Motte said: "It's been there for generations, it's about passing on the baton of queer joy and queer fun at night to the generations that are coming through after us." He added: "This space provides a vital function, a vital service, clubs are closing at a really concerning rate and there are fewer and fewer LGBTQ+ specific night time spaces."BGWMC has been there for as long as I can remember and has always been there and has always been this safe haven, this pocket of joy and resilience and strength and mischief and that's why it's so, so vital." A spokesperson for Tower Hamlets Council said: "We have not received notice of the owner's intention to sell the property and we are not aware of the building being marketed as 'for sale'. "We have contacted the freeholder for further details and about their obligation to inform us of any intention to sell."The spokesperson said the council's corporate director for housing regeneration had met with campaigners and the authority was working with them to find a solution.
Yahoo
06-03-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Things to do in London this weekend, from Leigh Bowery to The Monkey
Bethnal Green Working Men's Club, March 8, @bgwmc Two-for-one: a chance to support both International Women's Day and Bethnal Green Working Men's Club, which is battling to ensure its survival. For the meantime, it's still open, and this weekend is hosting an IWD-themed party promising the 'biggest bangers from the ultimate queens of pop', with performances from drag artists and DJ Sara Blow on the decks. It's also set to make much of Lady Gaga's new album, released the day before. The Barbican, until May 11, This debut retrospective covers one of the most original painters to have emerged in recent years and celebrates the late artist's expansive creativity. Davis, who died at the age of 32, captured Black life in a desire to 'represent the people around me'. The result is a body of work that explores lives too uncharted in mainstream media; in turn, figurative paintings that are simultaneously 'realistic and dreamlike, joyful and melancholic'. The Dorchester, until March 9, G Kelly, noted eel and pie shop, was founded by George Kelly in 1939. Still in situ on the Roman Road, the family has been dishing out traditional East End pie and mash ever since. But in west London? For British Pie Week, The Dorchester hotel will be serving pie and mash, too, albeit in a far more upmarket fashion: Tom Booton has teamed up with G Kelly, both below, to put his own spin on the London classic. Expect much fancier pies with old-school mash, parsley liquor and ever-necessary chilli vinegar. Towards Zero BBC One, out now An Agatha Christie adaptation? When it's not Christmas? The BBC is spoiling us. This one takes its time, an elegantly-paced three-parter which heads to Devon, where the wealthy Lady Tressilian (Anjelica Huston, channelling Medusa) hosts her tennis star nephew Neville Strange (Oliver Jackson-Cohen), his wife Kay (Mimi Keene) and his ex, Audrey (Ella Lily Hyland). Awkward enough. Add in a creepy valet and an inspector troubled by booze and his wartime memories (Matthew Rhys, best in class), and the mystery begins. It intoxicates slowly and then all at once, like an icy martini. Mickey 17 In cinemas, March 7 Edward Ashton's novel Mickey7 is here adapted for the big screen, with Robert Pattinson starring as Mickey Barnes, an 'expendable' worker blasted into space and assigned to colonise an ice world, Niflhelm. As an expendable, he can die and be 'reprinted' as often as his company needs. Three-time Oscar winner Boon Joon-ho (Parasite) directs this darkly comic story of existential dread, survival, identity and corporate exploitation. Pan Macmillan, out now How much do you actually like your job? It's a question most of us ponder to ourselves — but something Charlie Colenutt decided to ask 100 strangers. Colenutt, a former trainee barrister, speaks to people from all walks of life — bakers, cleaners, bankers, church ministers, trade unionists and more — for a picture of how we work now. Released March 7 Out of Hastings comes female-led alt-rock trio HotWax, below, whose debut album Hot Shock is as powerful as it is passionate. The band, comprising Tallulah Sim-Savage, Lola Sam and Alfie Sayers, has toured the world and clocked up more than 150 shows ahead of the record and the result is an adrenaline-fuelled collection of big, punchy anthems. To be played loud and proud at parties as lighter evenings arrive. Young Vic, until April 26, On a night out in Nottingham, a single punch has fatal consequences. The latest piece from Olivier-winner James Graham brings Jacob Dunne's powerful true life story to the stage. Once a directionless teenager spending his Saturday nights seeking thrills with friends, a fateful evening leads to prison time. Later, the parents of his victim, James, ask to meet Dunne, transforming his life with profound effect. Read the true story behind it. London Palladium, September 13-24, The American megastars Penn & Teller have never before performed in the West End. In tribute to their 50th anniversary as a mind-blowing duo of comedy and magic, a rare UK show will allow British audiences to witness incredible new tricks. The longest-running headline act in Las Vegas, their performances in London will sell-out fast.
Yahoo
28-02-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Fighting fund set up to save working men's club
Friends of Bethnal Green Working Men's Club (FoBGWMC) have set up what they are calling a "fighting fund" as part of the next stage of a campaign to save the at-risk LGBT-friendly venue in east London. FoBGWMC said the fund would pay for a planning bid to persuade Tower Hamlets Council to save the club. About £7,000 has been raised, with the aim to raise £12,000 by 8 April. In June 2024, the club was given a two-month eviction notice. Equity, the actor's union, then launched an online petition to halt plans to close the venue. Equity's Nick Keegan said the venue, where some scenes from Netflix's Baby Reindeer were filmed, was a "crucial and irreplaceable fixture of London's cultural heritage". More than half of London's LGBTQ+ venues closed between 2006 and 2022, Greater London Authority data shows. BGWMC has functioned as a community-owned social club since 1973, with a history of shared ownership that goes back to 1888. FoBGWMC said the money from the crowdfunding campaign would pay for a full chartered survey and valuation of the building, as well as cover the planning application costs. It added an extended target of £18,000 would allow the group to develop a robust business plan with financial projections and cover all consultancy and accountancy costs. The aim is to build an investment case for one of two preferred outcomes: for Tower Hamlets Council to buy the club and then lease it back to FoBGWMC or for the council to allow FoBGWMC to purchase the club themselves. The building is owned by a group called the Boro of Bethnal Green Working Men's Club. FoBGWMC said despite the ongoing success of the club, the group wanted to sell the building, with the proceeds shared between about 50 individuals, potentially ending 130 years of working-class community ownership. Equity's Mr Keegan added: "A community purchase on this scale will be no small task. "We believe it is essential to save this unique cultural facility and give it a chance to continue serving the local community of Tower Hamlets, the LGBTQ+ community, and the wider cultural tapestry of London for future generations." A spokesperson for Tower Hamlets Council said: "The BGWMC is an important venue for our LGBTQIA+ community, especially at a time where there is a decline in LGBTQIA+ spaces across London. "This is why the council has approved an application for the Bethnal Green Working Men's Club to be an asset of community value. "We have not received notice of the owner's intention to sell the property and we are not aware of the building being marketed as 'for sale'. We have contacted the freeholder for further details, and about their obligation to inform us of any intention to sell." Rally held to save Bethnal Green Working Men's Club Six in 10 London LGBTQ+ venues shut since 2006 Inside one of London's LGBTQ-friendly fitness classes Listen to the best of BBC Radio London on Sounds and follow BBC London on Facebook, X and Instagram. Send your story ideas to
