Manchester community arts centre Niamos launches fundraiser to remain open

The team behind Manchester community arts centre Niamos have launched a crowdfunding campaign to help it stay open.

The not-for-profit venue is located in the Hulme area of Manchester, with those running it saying that the space may not be able to remain open beyond the winter without additional financial support.

Originally known as the Hulme Hippodrome and later the Playhouse Theatre, the space housing Niamos has been open as a public venue since 1902. It was bought and turned into an arts space in 1986, with the Niamos team taking it over in 2018.

The space hosts club nights, jam sessions, dance lessons and art classes, among other events. Zed Bias, Eartheater and Dub Phizix are among the artists who have played shows there over the last few years.

Writing on the Crowdfunder page, the Niamos team said they are "a group of local residents and community volunteers who have managed the building located in the heart of Hulme for the past five years – providing access to spaces and facilities to create, learn, dance and share."

They continued: "Our mission is to preserve the heritage of the NIA Centre and Playhouse Theatre [which were previously housed inside the space], by keeping the building and the arts it facilitates accessible to all communities, all ages and capabilities."

Diving into detail about what donated funds will be used for, the group's Crowdfunder read: "We want to make sure the building stays open as much as possible over winter and improve the equipment that local and young artists have access to through us, including music production, sound and lighting engineering, arts workshops, film and media production, and acting classes.

"The building is in desperate need of repair and a heating system which we currently do not have at all! Alongside all of this, the running costs of the building and the rising cost of living mean we are under pressure this winter. We rely on volunteer support to run and host events for our community and our voluntary members have worked extremely hard to keep the building afloat, but our members cannot give as much of their time as we need and with the challenge of a cold and leaking building we are in need of help to save this space from closing down!"

You can find out more about Niamos, and donate to help keep it open, by heading to its Crowdfunder page.