Campaign to save iconic LGBTQ+ venue surpasses first fundraising target

A crowdfunder which launched last month to save Bethnal Green Working Men's Club (BGWMC) has surpassed its initial fundraising target. Friends of Bethnal Green Working Men's Club (FoBGWMC) set up a 'fighting fund' to save the queer-friendly venue and aimed to raise £12,000 by April 8.

At the time of writing (March 7), FoBGWMC has raised £13,260 in donations. The £12,000 raised will go towards a full chartered survey and valuation of the Grade II listed building, as well as covering the cost of planning applications which have put vital protections on the building.

FoBGWMC has an extended target of £18,000 which will help the group develop a robust business plan and will help cover all consultancy and accountancy costs for their community bid to buy the venue which could otherwise close if it's bought by a third party. The building's owner wants to sell and the group intends to bid for it when it goes on sale to ensure it can remain open as a cabaret club. FoBGWMC has said if it reaches its extended target, it will still keep the fundraiser 'open and rolling'.

FoBGWMC member Dan de la Motte said there are plans to host fundraising events at the venue which has reopened after being forced to temporarily close due to the uncertainty. Previously speaking to the Local Democracy Reporting Service (LDRS), Dan said: "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.

"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."

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. Following a successful rally outside the venue on Pollard Row which helped to stop the initial eviction, Tower Hamlets Council designated the building as an Asset of Community Value (ACV).

Now the building has been recognised as an ACV, the local community has 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.

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: "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." Supporters can donate to the fund here.

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