Double your donations for Youth Theatre in the Big Give Christmas Challenge
Following on from the success of raising nearly £7,000 in last year’s Big Give, Royal & Derngate is one of only a few organisations in Northamptonshire to have been selected to participate in the Big Give Christmas Challenge for 2011. A nationwide scheme which unlocks £1 of matched funding for every £1 that the theatre raises, the Big Give Christmas Challenge takes place from Monday 5 to Friday 9th December. During this week the theatre aims to raise £8,000 towards Youth Theatre bursaries.
Royal & Derngate works with over 300 young people a week and its Youth Theatre provides an inspiring and creative opportunity for young people in Northampton to become engaged with the arts through weekly training sessions and regular productions, also helping to improve their confidence, social and communication skills at the same time.
Donations from the Big Give will help to cover the cost of Youth Theatre Bursaries for young people whose families would otherwise struggle to pay the membership fees of £55 a term and for whom financial hardship is a barrier to attendance. The funds will also pay for a series of outreach community workshops aimed at encouraging people from more diverse backgrounds to join the Youth Theatre.
Northamptonshire Community Foundation has given a generous pledge of £2,000, and the theatre needs to raise a matching £2,000 during the challenge week to release this money. If this target is reached, the theatre also has a fantastic opportunity to unlock additional bonus funding from the Big Give’s external sponsor doubling the public donations, meaning all donations could be worth twice their original value.
Donations of any size are very welcome and each £1 given unlocks another £1 of matched funding. Donations can be made online at www.thebiggive.org.uk/donate/royalandderngate from 10am on Monday 5 December.
