Barn Dance Raises almost £600 for Gallery Redevelopment
The barn dance, organised by The Friends of the William Morris Gallery on Friday 28 October 2011 raised £599 for the Development Project at the William Morris Gallery in Walthamstow.
Jennifer Davies, organiser of the dance and membership secretary of the Friends, says:
“The event was sold out a week in advance and tickets sales generated a profit of £406. We received some donations and a further £143 was raised through the raffle.
We had 5 prizes from the Gallery shop and 10 prizes donated by local shops and businesses in Wanstead, including a voucher for £50 from L’Infinito Italian Restaurant on the High Street and two vouchers for £25 each from The Green Fish Restaurant on Cambridge Park.
We were helped with the ticket sales and promotion of the event by an employee of Barclays Bank. She has applied to the bank’s Matched Fundraising programme which supports employees’ fundraising for charities and community organisations. If the application is successful, we hope to receive another £406, to match the profit that she helped us make from ticket sales.
There were just over 100 people at the dance. Their ages ranged from seven to seventy plus. It was wonderful to see so many people enjoying themselves and to know that we were raising money to support the exciting developments at the Gallery.”
The William Morris Gallery is the only public Gallery devoted to William Morris – designer, craftsman, writer, socialist and conservationist – and is home to an internationally important collection illustrating his life, achievements and influence.
The Gallery Development Project will provide extended exhibition space, a café, a dedicated education space for a programme of activities for all ages and better storage facilities for valuable items. Work is already underway and the Gallery is due to reopen in July 2012.
The total cost of the project is £5.2 million. The Friends are committed to raising more than £1 million. The project is supported by the Heritage Lottery Fund and the London Borough of Waltham Forest.
The barn dance coincided with the opening of William Morris: Story, Memory, Myth, the inaugural exhibition at Two Temple Place on the Embankment. Two Temple Place is the first London venue showcasing art from the UK’s regional collections. The exhibition runs until 29th January. www.twotempleplace.org
The Friends of the William Morris Gallery is a registered charity. The Friends’ activities and educational events help to support the gallery’s programme and bring together people with similar interests in Morris and the Arts & Crafts Movement. Find out more about the Friends and how to become a member on their website www.friendsofthewmg.org.uk
Further Information
For more information about the barn dance or the Friends of the William Morris Gallery, please contact Jennifer Davies on 020 8556 9114 or j.a.davies@talktalk.net
November 1, 2011 | Category: News | no responses
