Glees smash fundraising target for Annesley Hall upgrade

10 February 2021

THE fundraising challenge launched last week by the Newcastle Glees Musical Society reached its £2,000 target after just four days, with donations continuing to pour in.

Late yesterday, donations had climbed to over £2,700 and with the fundraiser set to continue until February 28, the initial target will be comfortably surpassed.

While the coronavirus has forced the curtain to come down on live performances at the group’s base at the historic Annesley Hall in the resort, members have donned their running and walking gear to raise money to carry out much-needed work at the building.

They are being joined on their fundraising crusade by family and friends who will also take to the roads to run, walk or cycle 5km a day all this month to help generate crucial funding to help maintain and safeguard the Annesley Hall.

And the Glees are hopeful that before the end of this year, they will be slipping back into their performance costumes once again to entertain local audiences.

The fundraising target was set to help maintain the safety of the Society’s ancestral home and to carry out a swathe of modifications to make the building safe for performers and audiences post-Covid.

And with the fundraising total steadily increasing, the Glees are delighted as the cash will help ease the bills that they are facing and meet the hall’s annual running costs of £12,000. They say that every penny raised counts.

Society member Suzanne Smyth — who came up with the fundraising idea which the group weighed in behind — is running 5kms every day to help raise crucial funds to preserve the home of what she described as her “extended family”, said all the support will make a big difference to the Musical Society.

The organisation said that during these exceptionally difficult times, it is currently clinging to survival so people’s support, however big or small, could make all the difference and would be massively appreciated.

The organisation, which is responsible for looking after and maintaining the Annesley Hall, has also applied for several grants which its hopes will be successful, explaining that before performances can take place again, a lot of work needs to be carried out at the building.

This includes providing sanitising stations and temperature check equipment, while all sinks will have to be replaced to include automatic taps.

New auditorium seating, which can be wiped down, also has to be provided and it is hoped that grant money to cover these particular costs.

It is hoped that all of the required improvements and modifications can be carried out by the end of the summer.

Any Society members, friends or families including the Glees’ junior company that wish to take part are asked to contact Suzanne Smyth on 07834 545153.

They are encouraging fundraisers to share their photos or maps of their routes each day to raise awareness, posting on their own social media pages and the Glee Singers Facebook page.

Anyone wishing to support the Newcastle Glees with their February fundraiser are asked to visit their JustGiving page at https://www.justgiving.com/crowdfunding/newcastleglees2021

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