Let's Build!

Dear Let’s Build backers, We trust you are all well in these troubled times. Our long-anticipated build week with a core team of Brixton 10 and 11 year olds was on schedule to happen on the 6-10th April 2020. As you will probably have realised, it is no longer possible to go ahead with the planned timescale. We made the difficult decision to postpone the build on 17th March, with the support of our amazing architects Matt+Fiona. Since then all schools have closed indefinitely and the Ovalhouse team have shifted to remote working. Once we receive government guidance that we can resume activities, we hope to move the build to the first week of the school summer holidays in late July instead. Over the coming weeks we will be sharing images and stories from the Let’s Build process to date – hundreds of local children participated in local workshops, contributed to the final building design and collaborated on what to name their space. The junior builders have been selected and dozens of adults from across London have volunteered their time and expertise to support the construction. Thank you so much to all of you for your continued support and willingness to get your hands dirty! This isn’t the end for Let’s Build. The wellbeing of our team and participants are our first priority and we are doing everything we can behind the scenes to ensure the project can resume as soon as it’s safe. We look forward to inviting you all to celebrate this community achievement when we’re able to come together again. Yours, Ovalhouse and the Let’s Build team

Dear Let’s Build supporters, Thank you all for your patience over the last few weeks. You will have received an email recently from Spacehive and Go Cardless explaining that it’s time to collect the money you’ve kindly pledged to our campaign. Go Cardless are the agent who process the funds and pass them on to us so we can make the project happen. It will show up as a ‘Direct Debit’ but please be assured, it’s only a one-off payment for the amount you pledged when you supported the campaign, nothing has been taken from your account so far and it is only for the amount you’ve entered. We’d like to take this opportunity to thank you again for your continued support and hope you will keep following the Let’s Build journey – we can’t wait to get started! We’d love to know more about you and keep you involved in the project – If you’d like to stay in the loop or know more about Ovalhouse projects please take a couple of minutes to fill in the short survey at https://forms.gle/bxbNd645DFGzBVid8 Thank you, Ovalhouse

To each and every one of our supporters and donors we send our heartfelt thanks for your extraordinary generosity. This form of crowdfunding has been a first for Ovalhouse, and we are delighted to have met our target – enabling an extra £12,000 to be contributed from the Mayor’s Office. We know lots of you have supported Ovalhouse before, but we are pleased to have been introduced to some new friends. We would love to get to know you, and to let you know how the project in Brixton is progressing. To join our mailing list, or to receive our Supporters newsletter and be invited to our welcome events to enjoy a VIP preview of our new building, please click this link and fill in the short survey: https://forms.gle/bxbNd645DFGzBVid8 We will be happy to let you know exactly how your donation is being used, with commentary from the young people involved. We can also let you know about the building of our new theatre and other exciting projects that Ovalhouse undertakes, in Brixton and beyond. Our thanks again, and congratulations on helping us reach the all important target. Best wishes, Deborah Bestwick Director, Ovalhouse.

Thanks again to everyone who pledged and made this project possible.

Thank you to all of our amazing backers – your early support helped us secure a £12,000 pledge from the Mayor of London’s #CrowdfundLondon movement and we’re now 98% of the way towards making Let’s Build happen. We now have eight days left to get over the line, BUT we can only collect the money if we reach the target. Every pound you’ve promised so far has brought us a step closer and your faith in the project is bringing in new supporters. We’re now hoping you’ll be able to dig a little deeper and add £10 more to your pledge this week to get us to the £50,911 goal. If you aren’t able to donate any more money to the campaign you can continue to support by sharing the campaign with your friends or friendly local organisations who might be interested in Let’s Build. Thank you again to everyone who has contributed so far – we can’t wait to get started!