Ents Committee press release
Release Date – 19th December 2006
CHRISTMAS CHEERS IN HYDE PARK AS SOCIAL CLUB AND MUSIC VENUE RECEIVES £10,000 LOTTO AWARD
The future of a social club in Hyde Park which acts as a vital part of the Leeds music scene looks safe after an application for £10,000 of lottery money was successful.
The Brudenell Social Club, which has hosted gigs by Leeds heroes The Kaiser Chiefs, as well as indie superstars Franz Ferdinand and hundreds of local, national and international acts, urgently needs a new £15,000 PA system, in order to compete with other local venues, while remaining independent and affordable.
The Brudenell Entertainments Committee, a volunteer organisation attached to the Social Club, have been awarded a £10,000 grant from the lottery funding organisation Awards for All. The grant will be paid to the Committee on Christmas Day.
The group will raise the remaining £5000 needed themselves, through gigs, bring and buy sales and a New Years Eve party.
Many users of the Club work on a non-profit basis and rely on the Brudenell as an affordable space to showcase left-field music and arts events in Leeds.
The Committee also plan to soundproof a back room to provide band rehearsal space. The volunteers will be offering workshops on events management and sound engineering.
The Committee has been working for 18 months on fundraising to secure the future of the Brudenell. In early 2005, noise complaints threatened the future of the Club, and the Committee raised more than £7000 in 2005 for soundproofed fire doors.
Councillor James Monaghan (Lib Dem, Headingley) supported the application:
“I am glad to have played a small part in the bid that will benefit the music scene in Leeds and local community organisations.
“The Brudenell Social Club Entertainments Committee have put a huge amount of work into seeing this project come to fruition and they should be praised for their efforts.”
On New Years Eve the Committee will be holding a party to celebrate the grant, with live music/ entertainment/ DJs. Tickets £5 from the Brudenell bar or Jumbo records, entry by ticket only.
ENDS
NOTES TO EDITORS
The Brudenell Social Club was formed in 1913 as a working men’s club, and has changed drastically over the years, adapting to the changing demographic of the area. It is now an extremely popular live music venue, but has retained its’ status as a non-profit members Club.
The Brudenell’s profile was raised in 2004 when Franz Ferdinand played a secret gig at the venue. It has also hosted gigs for the Kaiser Chiefs and The Cribs as well as hundreds of local artists. The venue still hosts more traditional cabaret nights and private parties.
After the initial fundraising for firedoors, the venue was again threatened in late 2005 when the in-house PA, owned by local sound engineers, was due to be sold. They set a £15,000 target to replace and upgrade the PA so that the Brudenell would be able to compete with other venues while continuing to be affordable and independent.
Ents Committee core members:
Claire Broadley – local resident, musician, promoter. Mature student.
Jonny Ackroyd – local resident, ex-promoter. Disability support worker.
Neil Shumsky – local resident, musician, ex- promoter. Software engineer.
Stuart Bannister – local resident, musician, sound engineer at the venue. Library assistant.
