Crowdfunder launched to turn former Kettering bingo hall into community hub - here's how you can donate

A crowdfunding page has been launched to help turn Kettering’s former bingo hall into a space the town can be proud of again.

Earlier this year Beccy Hurrell and Lindsey Atkins revealed their ambitious plan, through their community interest company BHVA Axis Hub CIC, for the derelict High Street venue.

They want to transform the historic building into a community hub with a gig venue, cafe, shops and more and have received dozens of messages of support.

Now they need financial backing – and they’ve launched an online page where people can help the dream become a reality.

Speaking to the Northants Telegraph, Lindsey said: "We have had an amazing response from members of the public, the council and local MPs. Everyone is supporting us.

"We need as many pledges as we can to get this up and running and help people to grow and flourish.

"It is about us all coming together to bring the theatre back and help the community up on the High Street."

Kettering singer Mae Stephens, who went viral this year with a hit viral track, has agreed to become an ambassador for the project and two volunteers are now helping with the bid’s marketing and community outreach.

But Lindsey also revealed that they believe someone else is also interested in the site – making their crowdfunder even more crucial.

BHVA Axis Hub CIC has already received individual pledges from backers and Lindsey and Beccy are in conversations with others about potential opportunities, including grants and match funding.

The overall plan would cost in the region of £5m and their first step is raising £1m this year to buy the building and make it safe.

They hope to commence phase one of the redevelopment project in 2024, open their doors by the end of that year and complete the whole redevelopment by the end of 2026.

As well as individual donations people can donate for specific rewards. A pledge of £250 gets people a plaque with the donor’s name on a balcony seat for five years. Funding of £1,500 gets a business membership – with logo on a plaque as part of a reception supporters’ wall, a logo in marketing material and on the website and 12 complimentary tickets. And a £4,000 sponsorship package gets 40 complimentary tickets, 15 per cent off food and drink, one complimentary room hire and discounts on further room hiring as well as logo advertising opportunities.

Built on a former drapery store, the High Street site was opened as Regal Cinema on Boxing Day in 1936 by Earl Spencer. In 1947 it was taken over by Granada Theatres and hosted several concerts, eventually closing in 1974, before it was later taken over by Gala Bingo who closed it in 2018. That year it was bought by London-based Nagrecha Brothers Limited for £570,000.

It made headlines around the world in June 2019 when police found a full house of 2,000 cannabis plants there, potentially worth almost £3m in value.

The Kettering Town Centre Partnership (KTCP) then had it listed as an asset of community value, giving groups the chance to put together a bid if it ever went on the market.

Earlier this year its owners notified council bosses of their intention to sell it, with BHVA Axis Hub CIC applying to trigger the moratorium. Because they are hoping to buy the former bingo hall through the separate CIC it would be locked as an asset for the community.

They want to make it a safe space where people can grow and flourish, through not just the arts but by being a space where people can get help.

Their overall plans include a space for gigs and performances, a community cafe that turns into a bar in the evening, soft play, shops and spaces for workshops and businesses, as well as holding clinics to help people in areas including health, employment and law.

To donate to the project visit https://www.crowdfunder.co.uk/p/axishubforkettering.