A night of music raised thousands of pounds for the crusade to buy Heavens Valley on behalf of the community.
Almost £1,000, after fees, was raised through ticket sales and donations, while an additional £3,125 was pledged to be paid when the charitable prestige of the Heavens Valley Community Benefit Society comes into force. This will increase the price of pledges made through Gift Aid by 25%.
And thirteen other people have agreed to pay £50 each to buy a percentage of the Company, meaning they will be able to sign up for other shareholders to have a say in how the land will be controlled if the Company’s offer is accepted.
The For Heavens’ Sake Music Festival at Stroud Brewery featured 3 bands: SUSAN, The Greater Good and singer-songwriter Natalie Shay with Joey Oscar.
Dozens of people bought tickets to attend the concert. The money raised will add to the more than £300,000 already pledged through network members or earned at fundraising events.
Martin Whiteside, one of the Society’s administrators, said: “All the money will go towards saving Heavens Valley. Two very generous locals lent us cash to buy the land at short notice. Now, every penny raised will allow us to pay them back and secure a little more land that will be kept through the network forever.
The Society’s fundraising coordinator, Annabel Richmond, said: “We are very grateful to the generosity of the bands, who played for free, and to Stroud Brewery for the accommodation. »
Lately, HVCBS is waiting to hear if its offer to purchase Thrupp Farm, which includes Heavens Valley, has been accepted. If this is the case, the Society will contact all those who have made pledges to ask them to convert their pledges into cash. As well as making donations, the entire network has the opportunity to purchase a percentage of the Society, for a fee of £50.
To find out more about the Heavens campaign, get involved or sign up to the volunteer team: http://www. heavensvalley. org. uk
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