We republish this call to fund essential maintenance work on the physical building of the Cowley Club in Brighton, an important piece of radical Left infrastructure that is one of the few independent venues where our groups can host meetings and events for free, let alone the only grassroots political space we have. The Cowley has been alive for 17 years so far, and it supports dozens of groups, including Plan C Brighton, Brighton Antifascists, Brighton Feminist Antifascist Assembly, Brighton Kurdistan Solidarity, Brighton Migrant Solidarity, Brighton Against Borders, Brighton Anti Raids Network, free English classes for migrants and refugees (the only place in Brighton where you can get free English classes without having to show someone your passport), a vegan cafe, bookshop, library, reading groups, free yoga… It is a co-operative that is volunteer run and not-for-profit. But the building structure will collapse if this work is not done on the building. Show your material solidarity if you can!
Donate Here – https://www.chuffed.org/project/lets-repair-the-cowley-club
What is the Cowley Club?
The Cowley Club is a DIY social centre. We’re vegan. We’re not-for-profit. We’re an inclusive space where people can meet, share ideas and organise without being badgered to buy something.
Everyone at the Cowley is a volunteer. We don’t have a boss or a manager making decisions – we all decide collectively how the space should be organised and what we should do next.
The Cowley hosts a vegan foodbank, English-language classes, skill workshops, book talks, live music and much more!
There’s a problem…
Our building is over a hundred years old, and we are facing some costly and urgent repairs. Our income alone is not enough to meet these expenses.
We need to raise enough money to hire contractors, put up scaffolding and pay for materials. If we can’t, the building will become unsafe and we won’t be able to stay open. We will have to close after 17 years.
…But we have a plan!
We are aiming to raise £11,700 to repair the crumbling plaster on the front on the building, the leaking roof, and the cracked chimneys.
Once the plaster is repaired, we will create a permanent memorial to Anna Campbell (Hêlîn Qereçox) in the form of a mural visible from the busy London Road.
Before travelling to Kurdistan, Anna was a valued volunteer and organiser at the Cowley Club. She was tragically killed while fighting with the Kurdish Women’s Protection Unit in 2018.
How can you help?
Every donation helps, no matter how large or small, and all money raised through this crowdfund will be used exclusively for the urgent repairs mentioned above.
We have some amazing perks to thank you for your generosity. You can also visit our website and learn how to set up a regular donation or invest ethically in the Club; this will form part of our regular income and reserves:
