Friends aiming to boost Liverpool's arts scene have vowed not to give up hope after their plans to buy a venue to support the city's creative community fell through earlier this year. Rebecca Hawley and Mia Tagg had hoped to provide studio spaces, classes and workshops for creatives from across the city.
They had earmarked a derelict site on Hartington Road in Toxteth and had worked out a broad idea of how they would lay out the property internally. However, in a new update, Mia told the ECHO that despite meeting the £400,000 price tag for the building, they were outbid and left to reconsider their plans.
New CIC formed after losing bid
Mia said: "When we lost the bid, in that six-week period while we were waiting to hear back, we had quite a lot of conversations, partly about how to raise the money if we had won the bid. So I spoke to quite a few people about it."
"We looked at various different social lenders and social investment opportunities. We also looked at the possibility of maybe doing a fundraiser, so me and Becky had quite a lot of conversations."
After carefully discussing plans, Becky and Mia enlisted the help of friends Ulysses Alvarez, an ethical private landlord, and Gayle Impey, who is training to become a building surveyor. Together they have formed the Practice Principles CIC (Community Interest Company) to continue their mission to try and find a new property to launch their concept.
Over 200 supporters already
They have already had significant interest in the form of statements of support from more than 200 people subscribed to their mailing list. Mia said: "We have somewhere between 225 and 230 signatures and statements of support. We know that at least 125 of those are actively looking for affordable studio space."
"We have loads of testimonials, and there's now four of us, so we're a more stable organisation, with a wider range of skills."
With renewed support in the idea, Mia and the other members of the CIC have been trying to find a new suitable venue, looking at properties near Newsham Park, Garston and the L8 area. However, they're still yet to decide on the desired spot.
Profit share model planned
Mia said: "We're also working with a group of property professionals who want to do something meaningful. And so we're working on a model with them, which is a profit share. Basically, they can finance the purchase of the building, they can raise the capital for works and stuff like that, combined with us operating as a Community Interest Company."
Once they have a premises that is operational, the CIC will offer affordable spaces that creatives can come and use at their will. She said: "There'd be two completely separate companies, and we would be the operator in that model. They own the building, but we pay it off, so it's kind of like a loan mortgage kind of situation."
Besides their project simply offering young creatives a space to hone their skills for an affordable price, Mia said that having a cultural hub like the one she proposes can have a number of benefits to an area. She said: "The thing is, when artists move into empty buildings, suddenly you've got a group of people who report street furniture when it's broken, there's murals, there's usually planting and social areas, and then it becomes cool and feels safe."
"And, the thing is that this is just a byproduct of what creative communities do. Each artist has a core activity that they do, whether it's music, whether it's pottery, but by extension, they invite people in, they run classes and workshops, and so they create footfall, and they create atmosphere that's inclusive and positive."
