A fundraising day at The Globe Inn in Andover has raised £625 for Andover Community Engage (ACE), providing a welcome boost to the local charity as it continues to battle serious financial pressures.
The event, held on Saturday, 22 August, brought together musicians, businesses, pub staff and customers for a day of entertainment and fundraising in support of the Bridge Street charity.
Money was raised through a raffle, a sponsored wax and a contribution from The Globe’s owners from the day’s takings, with the final total reaching £625.
The fundraiser comes at a particularly important time for ACE, which revealed earlier this summer that it was facing significant financial difficulties and an uncertain future.
In July, the charity issued an urgent public appeal after falling behind with essential running costs. At the time, ACE said it had been unable to pay its rent for two months and was also facing pressure from other bills required to keep its services running. The charity warned that, without additional support, some of its services could be put at risk.
Against that backdrop, the £625 raised at The Globe represents more than simply another fundraising total.
ACE said the money would go directly towards keeping its services operating and supporting people across Andover.
The charity said: “Every penny raised will go straight back into keeping ACE doing what it does — keeping our doors open, supporting local families, providing somewhere for our young people to go, tackling isolation, supporting older residents and creating a place where people can walk through the door and just… belong.”
A day powered by the Andover community
The Globe thanked the many people who helped organise and support the fundraiser, including Paul, who brought the cause and idea for the event to the pub, and Steph, who helped organise the day, secure raffle prizes, perform and host proceedings despite being unwell.
Resident DJ and karaoke host Jax provided the sound system, performed and continued into the evening with karaoke, putting in around 13 hours during the event.
Jamie, Stephanie, Sofia, Dylan and Paul also gave their time to perform during the fundraiser, while Jen provided face painting.
The Globe also praised its staff and door team for helping throughout the event.
A major part of the fundraising effort was the raffle, which was supported by businesses from across the Andover area.
Among those thanked by The Globe were Pennies, Go Fudge, The Travelling Cupcake, Fire Away Take Away, Copper Mahal, B2R Security, Willow and Rose, I Remember These, Record Box, Mobile Zone, a local fruit and vegetable stand, At Last, Steve 3D Printing and High Score Arcade.
Vouchers, products and prizes donated by businesses helped create the raffle, while customers supported the event by buying tickets and taking part throughout the day.
The Globe said: “To every person who performed, donated, bought raffle tickets, took part, helped behind the scenes or simply came along and supported us… thank you.”
What does ACE do?
The money will support an organisation whose work extends across a wide range of community services in Andover.
ACE is a registered charity based at 13–17 Bridge Street and describes its purpose as creating opportunities for community engagement, building social connections, reducing loneliness and isolation and helping address inequalities within the community.
Its projects include a community fridge and pantry, clothing and baby bank, youth provision and Community Lounge, alongside education, volunteering and other community initiatives. Hampshire’s Connect to Support service describes ACE as providing support ranging from food, clothing and baby essentials to youth engagement, social wellbeing and education.
Its Community Lounge, for example, provides a free, warm and welcoming space where residents can meet others or simply spend time without having to spend money. It includes free Wi-Fi, tea and coffee, books, games and activities and hosts groups specifically aimed at tackling social isolation and helping people remain connected.
ACE Youth, meanwhile, provides a drop-in space for young people aged 10 and over, with gaming, arts and crafts, chess, Lego, pool, table tennis and other activities available in an environment designed to give young people somewhere safe to meet others.
The charity also helps redistribute surplus food through its community fridge and supports families through its clothing and baby bank, including people referred through organisations such as social services, refuges and other agencies.
The Charity Commission lists ACE’s charitable work as including the prevention or relief of poverty, education and training, health, disability, recreation and community development, with beneficiaries including children and young people, older people, people with disabilities and the wider public.
Fundraising comes at a crucial time
Despite the scale of that work, ACE’s financial difficulties have highlighted the challenge faced by grassroots organisations trying to maintain community services while meeting everyday running costs.
When ACE launched its appeal in July, the charity said its reserves had been exhausted while it continued providing services. Grant applications were in progress, but the organisation warned that money was not arriving quickly enough to meet its immediate financial pressures.
ACE said at the time that demand for its services remained strong, but its immediate challenge was finding enough money to keep the building running and meet essential bills.
That makes community-led fundraising such as The Globe’s event particularly significant.
Responding to the £625 total, ACE described those involved at The Globe as “absolute legends” and said the fact the money had come directly from the local community meant a great deal to the organisation.
ACE said: “That £625 wasn’t handed over by some big funding pot. It came from a local pub, local musicians, local businesses donating prizes, staff giving their time, people buying raffle tickets, people getting waxed and customers simply choosing to support something happening in their own town.”
The charity also thanked The Globe’s owners and team for hosting the event and contributing some of the day’s takings.
It added: “Grassroots charities like ACE survive because a community decides that what we do matters.”
ACE said it had seen support from a number of pubs and businesses across Andover in recent weeks, with local organisations finding their own ways to help the charity through its difficult period.
For The Globe, the message following the fundraiser was equally focused on the community, with the pub encouraging residents to support the businesses which donated prizes and helped make the day possible.
The result was £625 raised in a single day by local people for a charity which, just weeks earlier, had warned that its future was uncertain.
For ACE, the fundraiser will help towards the immediate cost of continuing its work.
For those behind the event, however, it was also a demonstration of what can happen when a local pub, businesses, performers and residents rally behind an organisation operating on their doorstep.
As ACE told The Globe following the fundraiser: “You didn’t just put on a cracking day. You made a difference.”