Lincoln Drill Hall takes The Christmas Challenge to quadruple donations

Lincoln Drill Hall takes The Christmas Challenge to quadruple donations

Every pound you donate to Lincoln Drill Hall between Tuesday 27th November to Tuesday 4th December is worth four pounds to the charity thanks to two generous fundraising challenges.

The charity-run arts centre in Lincoln is taking part in The Christmas Challenge, organised by The Big Give, which gives charities a week to secure a target sum through donations. Local supporters and businesses, together with a philanthropic organisation, will then match the total amount raised. This overall sum will then be matched again by The Arts Council’s Catalyst: Evolve scheme.

This means that the money donated to Lincoln Drill Hall during the Big Give can effectively be quadrupled through the generous match funding schemes.

Lincoln Drill Hall is hoping to raise £4,000 from donations during the The Big Give week and is hosting a special Christmas singalong on December 1st to help it reach its target. If the charity-run arts centre meets its target, this could mean it can secure £16,000 in total from the week of fundraising.

As well as hosting major touring shows, live music, comedy, a Christmas panto and landmark events such as the BBC Prom it hosted this year, Lincoln Drill Hall routinely supports local, homegrown talent with small-scale productions and hosts a wide range of participation groups for the community. This includes Fish Tank Youth Theatre, Dreamland Drama Group for adults with disabilities and The Butterfly Club; Lincolnshire’s only club night for people with disabilities.

Lincoln Drill Hall’s CEO Chris Kirkwood said:

“Lincoln Drill Hall has been a major part of the community through the generations and this year’s Christmas Challenge is an incredible opportunity to help us continue our work in the city. Every pound you donate to us between the 27th of November and the 4th of December is worth four pounds to us - even more if you donate with gift aid.

“As a registered charity, we rely on the public and the community for a large portion of the funding we need so this would make a huge difference. Around a third of our budget comes from public funds, primarily from the City of Lincoln Council and the Arts Council England, but the city council’s financial pressures mean the money we get from the council is falling every year. We host around 300 performances each year but after ticket sales are accounted for, we still have a funding gap of up to £100,000 a year which we can only cover through fundraising activities and donations from the public.

“We really do appreciate every pound you choose to donate to us; we simply wouldn’t be able to run without your support. If we can generate £16,000 from this week of fundraising, we’ll be a massive step closer to overcoming a major financial hurdle.”

During The Christmas Challenge, Lincoln Drill Hall will be running online campaigns to raise funds and will be hosting a Christmas sing-along on Saturday 1st December.

To support Lincoln Drill Hall by making a donation, visit www.lincolndrillhall.com/support-us/

Lincoln Drill Hall’s champion in The Christmas Challenge, is The Four Acre Trust, which, together with local supporters and businesses, will match the money raised during the challenge. The Four Acre Trust was founded in 1995 by John Bothamley with profits from the building industry. The trust supports UK children’s projects run by smaller charities.

The Arts Council’s Catalyst: Evolve programme offers match funding to incentivise philanthropic giving and invests in the capacity and culture of organisations to better enable them to raise philanthropic income.

#YouKnowtheDrill