Suffolk pupils raise money for New Wolsey Theatre after cuts

Chloe Spinks and Jordan Bolt, 19-year-old students at Suffolk New College, will be scaling the O2 arena in London on Saturday, March 9.

The young adults will be raising money for the theatre as they were “disappointed” to hear of Suffolk County Council’s decision to cut 100% of its funding into arts and culture in the county in January.

Their GoFundMe set out to raise £100 but has now passed this target and reached around £200 worth of donations in aid of the New Wolsey Theatre.

The venue in Civic Drive is a registered charity that is partly funded by the Arts Council, Suffolk County Council, and Ipswich Borough Council, as well as donations.

The New Wolsey Theatre on Civic Drive. (Image: Carl Lamb)

Ms Spinks, who studies music performance, said: “I wasn’t even expecting to raise £100 so it’s a good feeling. It feels good to be able to do something for once.

“As a member of music and the arts, when I found out about the cuts, it was disappointing.

“We always do a showcase in the form of a music takeover every year at the New Wolsey, so I wanted to help them.

“We can’t afford to lose this theatre. I know it can be overlooked, but it plays such a great role in people’s lives and theatre is a form of expression. Someone needs to do something.”

Last month, Suffolk County Council announced it would be scrapping 100% of its funding into arts and culture from April next year, amounting to cuts of £500,000, which prompted a protest and widespread criticism.

The council then proposed a new £500,000 project fund to which all Suffolk’s arts and heritage organisations can apply.

However, organisers at the New Wolsey Theatre said this apparent U-turn does not directly address the cut to their core funding.

Douglas Rintoul of the New Wolsey Theatre. (Image: New Wolsey Theatre)

Douglas Rintoul, the New Wolsey’s chief executive and artistic director, said in early February that the reversal was “a cause for celebration”, but that the impact remains profound, forcing the theatre to “make tough decisions and implement cuts to programmes painstakingly developed over the years”.

Mr Rintoul has backed the fundraiser with “heartfelt gratitude”. He said: "The New Wolsey Theatre team extends heartfelt gratitude to Chloe and Jordan for their fundraiser in support of our theatre.

“Their backing comes at a crucial time, especially considering recent core investment cuts from Suffolk County Council.

“Witnessing such strong support from young members of our community is inspiring and reaffirms the importance of our work.

“We extend our best wishes to Chloe and Jordan, deeply appreciating their passion for what we do."

Councillor Philip Faircloth-Mutton, cabinet member for equalities and communities at the council, said: “We have been adamant since starting our budget proposals that we would seek opportunities to support the arts and heritage sector, but we have had to make difficult decisions to ensure that we can prioritise spending on services like SEND, home to school transport and children in care.

“We currently provide a contribution of core funding to just nine out of the hundreds of arts and culture organisations we have in Suffolk.

“By moving the council’s contribution of funding from a core funding model to a project funding model, we are opening up more opportunities to the whole sector.

"It is our belief that this new funding pot will end a disparity where relatively few organisations benefit from council funding.

“In the 2024/25 period, however, we will continue to provide core funding to our nine partner organisations from unallocated Covid Recovery monies from central government.”

To donate to the fundraiser, visit: https://www.gofundme.com/f/chloejordans-02-climb-for-the-new-wolsey-theatre