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Art lovers have donated £1,700 in just 24 hours to save the Harbour Gallery, helping it meet its fundraising target of £10,000.
Director Pat Robson said the funds will help keep the gallery afloat through "six months of low trading".
The Harbour Gallery, which has been a much-loved artistic hub for art lovers and local creatives for the past 18 years, had launched an appeal for donations in April over concerns it would disappear in the wake of the corona virus pandemic.
The Gallery was forced to close its doors and cease all activities in early March, leading to a loss of funds while bills kept mountings.
Yesterday, Express, called for final donations to help the Gallery reach its target. Donations then poured in with a frequent visitor of the Gallery donating the final £1,750 required.
Pat thanked the media for their support saying, “it made all the difference.”
Pictured: Pat Robson, Director of the Harbour Gallery.
"There are a lot of bills," Pat explained at the time. "The government said we do not have to pay Social Security and ITIS right now but it will have to be paid. There are not going to be a lot of people, there are not going to be good sales when we reopen.
"People won't have as much money as they used to have. A lot of people have had to take cuts in wages or lose their wages.
"We have to be sensible about this because there is no good opening for a few months and then finding out we can't afford it."
The appeal for funds aimed to secure enough money for the Gallery to stay open, over the winter months into 2021, by which time the team hopes they will be fully up and running again.
Commenting on the donations she added: “It’s been absolutely amazing. I cannot believe it. It’s totally amazing! I am so happy.”
The team is now working making some adjustments to the gallery to welcome the public once more. They will be opening the Gallery for one day on 15 June. If all goes well, the Gallery will then reopen on 19 June and then for four days a week for the following two weeks.
The Gallery will then be opening five days a week by the beginning of July, and finally six days a week by the end of the month.
Meanwhile, the café is due to reopen doors on 12 June.
“It’s very positive,” Pat said. “We can get going!”
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