Dame Margaret Barbour announced as patron of Sage Gateshead fundraising campaign
Named Crisis, Recovery and Renaissance, the campaign aims to place art and culture at the heart of the region’s recovery and has already reached £200,000 in public donations – 20% of the charity’s first year target.
Sting and Dame Margaret Barbour are both long-time supporters of the music charity. Sting recently supported the organisation’s ‘Stand Up for Sage Gateshead’ campaign, which highlighted the organisation’s exciting plans to reconfigure the seating arrangements in Sage One to allow for standing gigs and a more diverse music programme.
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Hide AdDame Margaret is a long-term supporter of Royal Northern Sinfonia, orchestra of Sage Gateshead, and has shown huge generosity in supporting the orchestra for many years, since before Sage Gateshead was built in 2004.
Sting said: “Sage Gateshead is a vital and irreplaceable part of musical life in the North East. It’s a world-class venue that attracts musicians from across the globe, nurtures the next generation of musicians from our region, and does amazing work with communities."
He goes on: “As a result of the global pandemic, they’re now facing significant financial challenges. I’m delighted to be able to support their current 3-year campaign as a Patron, and I hope they’ll bounce back from this crisis to make live music a major part of the North East’s recovery.”
Dame Margaret echoes this sentiment, adding: “Sage Gateshead plays an important part in providing a varied programme of music and cultural events for everyone in the North East."
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Hide AdThe announcement comes as Sage Gateshead awaits further guidance on the £1.57 billion fund that the Government has pledged to the arts, with guidelines, funding vehicles and specific support packages yet to be announced.
However, despite this support package, the loss caused by COVID-19, is now projected at £10 million until the end of March 2021.
As Sage Gateshead remains closed, donations are now the charity’s main source of income.
Although the campaign has got off to a strong start, there is still much work to be done, with the music charity attaching an ambitious £3 million target to the three-year campaign. Donations to the campaign can be made here.