Jude Kirton-Darling, Labour MEP for the North East, has donated £5,000 to the ‘Save Red Ladder’ cause. This takes the current total to £12,373.33 –enough, for example, to commission one and a half full length plays, or to pay a cast of four actors for seven weeks, or to build two complete touring sets.

Jude comments:

“I came across Red Ladder at their show, We’re Not Going Back at Durham Miner’s Gala in July, and was just so blown away by their work that I wanted to make a donation that would ensure their future, or at the very least their next project.”

Chris Lloyd, Red Ladder’s producer comments:

“We’re really overwhelmed by Jude’s generous donation and by the momentum of the campaign in general. There is still a long way to go, but I feel confident that we will get there. The groundswell of support has made us more determined to keep on making relevant, accessible work and take it to non traditional spaces as well as theatres and studios”

 
Save Red Ladder is working with online fundraising platform Localgiving.com, who launch their annual match funding initiative Grow Your Tenner, on 14 October 2014.

All donations up to £10 made after this date will be match funded, equating to £20 for Red Ladder.

To help the cause follow @saveredladder, use the #GisATenner hashtag, visit www.saveredladder.co.uk or donate directly via www.localgiving.com/redladder

Red Ladder’s show We’re Not Going Back is on UK tour from September. For tickets visit www.redladder.co.uk.

Red Ladder also announced earlier this week plans to make the UK’s first adaptation of Terry Jones’ children’s book, Nicobobinus, which will open at Lost Theatre, Vauxhall on 11 December. www.losttheatre.co.uk