The online fund on the Crowdfunder platform is to pay for a planning application to Tower Hamlets Council to save the club.
Organisers were handed a two-month eviction notice last summer by the property owners.
A protest rally was staged on the day of the planned eviction, which succeeded in halting the eviction — for the time being.
Then a petition with 13,000 signatures was started by the Equity performing arts trade union to help save the Pollard Row venue.
The picket that halted eviction, for the time being (Image: Friends of BGWMC)
The Grade II-listed cabaret theatre off Bethnal Green Road, which opened in 1888, was designated an asset of community value when the campaigners appealed to the council in August.
But this doesn’t stop it being sold on the market — unless the campaigners can persuade the authority to take it on. Its ‘community asset’ listing grants campaigners a ‘right to bid’ if the building goes up for sale.
“A community purchase on this scale will be no small task,” Equity’s variety organiser Nick Keegan told the East London Advertiser.
“But we are determined to build a case as it’s essential to save this unique facility as part of the cultural tapestry of London for future generations.”
The Friends of Bethnal Green Working Men’s Club campaign group needs to raise £12,000 in just six weeks, by April 8, for a full survey, valuation and planning application with protection orders.
Another £6,000 would also create a business plan with financial projections for the council to purchase, then lease back to the Friends or allow them to buy it themselves.
The venue has been a springboard for many top entertainers, including Paloma Faith, Tom Allen and Sean Lock. It has also been the backdrop for Netflix series like Baby Reindeer and Liam Gallagher music videos.
It is owned by Borough of Bethnal Green Working Men’s Club which has indicated intention to sell, ending almost 140 years of working-class community ownership.
Campaigners fear that it could remain closed and become derelict due to planning restrictions on the building.
