Call to Action as Charity Announces Fundraising Drive: Help Protect Community Services and Keep the Flame Burning

We need your help …for over 45 years the Torch Theatre has been flying the flag for the arts in Pembrokeshire, with the wellbeing of the people in our community at the forefront of all we do. And now we need the help of our community as we announce a major fundraising drive over the next six months, as the Torch seeks to avoid damaging cuts to its programme and services within the community. 

Why we need your help now Recent cuts to local authority budgets means Pembrokeshire County Council has been forced to pass on a 93% cut to our funding which, combined with the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic and the economic downturn, has left the Torch (which is a registered charity) with a funding gap of £250,000 that we are working urgently to fill. Financial stability is imperative, and the support of our core funders contributes toward maintaining our basic operation. However, the majority of our income is self-generated, supporting our mission to enrich the lives of the people in our community. More than ever before, we need our community’s help to protect these services.

What we do and why we want to carry on doing it The Torch delivers 2000 events and activities each year, with more than 100,000 people coming through our doors from Pembrokeshire and beyond to find entertainment, fun, friends, learning, growth, new experiences and joy. We’re well known across Wales as an award-winning producing theatre, independent cinema, and centre for the Arts, showcasing all types of artistic endeavour and nurturing talent. We deliver enriching activities and opportunities that fill a special place in people’s lives. We develop creativity, learning experiences, and opportunities to socialise for everyone, with a focus on the most vulnerable, isolated and in need of support.

Our celebrated Youth Theatre provides a safe and nurturing creative space for young people to develop skills for life and a lifelong relationship with the arts. Inclusive and non-judgemental, our programme creates a sense of belonging and social inclusion, and is subsidised to ensure that our young people can flourish, whatever their economic circumstances. Other activities include our joyful community choir Torch Voices, Adult Creative Classes, relaxed shows and films for neurodivergent audience members and others who may benefit from a relaxed environment, and accessible film screenings for our Deaf audience. We support the vital work of the Welsh National Opera Cradle Choir for those living with dementia, Arts Care’s disabled people’s movement group My Moves, and Pembrokeshire People First’s theatre company starring disabled adults. We are home to amateur groups too, providing a stage for Milford Haven Amateur Operatic Society, FF Dancers and many more.

We’re not alone in this new environment of increasing funding pressures and doing things differently in response. Regional theatres, cinemas and arts venues all over the country are suffering. Some have already closed their doors for good.

This is new for us We have never asked for this kind of support before, but support can come in many forms; as a one-off gift or by becoming a regular donor, by joining our membership scheme, by becoming a Friend of the Torch as a volunteer, by leaving a legacy, or simply by buying a ticket and enjoying a meal in Café Torch. For businesses, we have a range of opportunities to work together through partnership arrangements, by sponsoring specific activities or by advertising with us and reaching audiences of 100,000 from across Pembrokeshire and beyond.

Supporting the Torch means supporting the economy in Pembrokeshire. We pay back in to our community in spades. Our work supports local businesses, schools and colleges, and the tourist economy. We utilise over 50 local suppliers; drive hundreds of overnight stays and thousands of pre-show meals each year for local businesses and we provide unique employment and training opportunities. As an integral part of Milford Haven we plan to be here for the benefit of generations to come and we’ll be talking to as many people as possible to explain what we’re doing and how anyone can support us. Anyone can make a donation or join us as a volunteer to help us ‘Caru the Torch’.

For anyone wishing to offer support of any kind, please talk to us. Email support@torchtheatre.co.uk, call us on 01646 401714 or pop into the Box Office for a chat about how you can help.

To donate now, please click here: Donate