Campaign to stop closure of Applecart Arts and save freelancing jobs

Equity’s London branches have launched a fight to save Applecart Arts, a much-loved community performance space in Newham, East London, from imminent closure. The centre is facing immediate cashflow issues due to funding cuts, with the doors likely to be closed before Christmas if action is not taken.  

Equity represents many freelancers who find work at Applecart and the closure of the centre would see the loss of creative work opportunities in Newham. Creative workers and Equity activists have launched a petition calling on Newham Council to save Applecart Arts by:  

• Allocating £100,000 from the Borough of Culture 2025 reserves to keep Applecart Arts afloat, and demand the new government restore the funding. 
• Negotiating with Applecart over longer-term subsidy to help it stabilise and expand Newham's cultural offer - this is the most important thing Newham Council can do as part of their bid for Borough of Culture. 

You can also join us at a rally outside the Council Cabinet meeting at 10am on Tuesday 3 December to demand that Mayor Rokhsana Fiaz steps in to save Applecart Arts. Bring your flags, placards and banners!

Applecart arts is a creative venue, housed by Newham Council, providing performance arts to the local community and jobs to Equity members. But at the same time that Newham Council is bidding to be London Borough of Culture 2025, Applecart Arts is facing closure. To start the year of culture with such a loss of freelance work is counterproductive to what the Borough of Culture programme is trying to achieve. You cannot have art without the workers who create it.