Latest details - Rescue mission for Saith Seren

Welsh General / Questions
#1

I know a lot of you will have been as shocked and disappointed to hear about Saith Seren closing as I was.

Here’s the situation as it stands:

They were recently turned down for a grant for 12 months rent from the Assembly (on the rather absurd grounds that they weren’t financially viable, which they would be if they had the 12 months rent!). They then also missed out on a separate bid to the Welsh Government to buy the building from a new pot of money for the Welsh language - the criteria didn’t allow them to apply directly. Somewhat ironically, £300k from this pot was instead given to a nearby college in Wrexham - to create a Welsh language centre in the town centre!

Their monthly shortfall is about £1.6k - they can manage a rent of about £1k, but they’re being charged about £2.6k. Ideally, they’d need about £2k a month - £1.6k would be real skin of the teeth territory for them.

So that’s 20 people at £100 a month, or 40 people at £50 a month - or 200 people at £10 a month.

Saith Seren is a unique resource.

Losing it would be hugely damaging for the future of the language in the north-east.

Let’s try to save it.

Please post in here what you would be willing and able to contribute on a monthly basis - or email me at aranjones [ at ] gmail.com if you’d rather keep your contribution private.

If we can get up to a monthly total of £2k before they have to hand the keys over on the 18th of May, then we’ll sort out payment details and get the money into their coffers.

I haven’t had a chance to talk to Iestyn about this yet, but I think it’s probably fair to say that if we had £2k spare per month (really spare - after managing to employ the extra people we need, as well as paying Iestyn properly!), we’d be happy to contribute that to keep Saith Seren open.

So if it would help you dip into your pockets, maybe we could see it as a monthly contribution from you until such time as SSi can afford to take over your payment (bearing in mind that the final decision on that will need to be taken by Iestyn and myself as partners)?

If we can go that route, then I think we’d also be able to say that by the time we have the necessary surplus, we would also be keen to give everyone who’d helped keep Saith Seren open a lifetime free membership to every language course we ever build.

4 Likes
#2

I’m committing to £10 a month myself, so we’re already down to just 199 others :sunny:

#3

And there are other people thinking along the same lines on Facebook - so this is definitely winnable, even if SSiWers can’t reach the full figure.

#4

I don’t know their set up. Will it be possible to Gift Aid it?

1 Like
#5

Being a carer puts some pressure on my finances but I am happy to commit to at least £10 a month and would explore ways of belt tightening to funding a higher contribution if it was make-or-break closer to the deadline.

1 Like
#6

How do we set up a contribution ? Neil ship Inn, Red Wharf Bay

1 Like
#7

20 £/m (just say how) No need of offering me lifetime free language courses. I’d pay those (like Welsh with monthly payments) gladly.

Edit: And yes, @aran as that you read my mind because when I’ve read the news on their page I’ve thought of just the same. "Why in the name of all wouldn’t there be a way to raise money and prevent closure?

1 Like
#8

Devastating news! I would be willing to contribute £10 per month to help keep the Saith Seren open. My son, who is not a SSiW member as he has been through Welsh medium education would also be willing to contribute.

1 Like
Saith Seren To Close
#9

Yup, we’re in. Have to say tho that my career as a supermodel is wobbling a bit😀

1 Like
#10

im willing to contribute a tenner a month too

1 Like
#11

If we can get to the point where it would make enough of a difference to keep them open, we’ll talk the technical side - my guess at this stage would be that a standing order to their bank account would probably be easiest for them to administer…

Diolch yn fawr iawn to you all so far - counting people who haven’t specified an amount as £10ers, we’re up to £115 a month already - so if they get as much support from elsewhere as from SSiW (I’ve been encouraging them to ask their existing members, who funded them at the start, to commit to a monthly payment), that would mean we were already round about 10% of the way…

If any of you can sweet talk any businesses that care about the language to chip in too, that would be fantastic :sunny:

1 Like
#12

I’m afraid I don’t know, Helen - but if we get close enough to warrant it, I’ll be happy to check with them :sunny:

#13

Oh, and it would be great if you could spread the word on social media, and link to this thread :sunny:

#14

Would happily contribute £10 a month to keep this great place going.

2 Likes
#15

I just registered here so I could say: I’d be able to contribute tenner a month. Let me know when you want contact details.

1 Like
#16

Superb work that man - diolch yn fawr iawn! :star2:

#17

I’m in for a tenner a month too. Saith Seren am byth!

1 Like
#18

Starting to fry my head a little by keeping track of people putting their hands up in different places, but I reckon we’re up to about £175 a month pledged now - not bad for the first afternoon/evening :sunny:

2 Likes
#19

I’ve just started going to Saith Seren to take advantage of the clwb bob nos lun and it would be a shame to lose the asset now, especially as pawb glên iawn.

To that end, and as I take advantage but only buy two pints of coke, I’d happily help with £10/month so please add me to the growing list.

1 Like
#20

£10 gen i yn fisol - mwy os fydd angen

a tenner from me too- more if necessary

1 Like