6:00pm Friday 19th March 2010
By James Calnan
MORE than £1million has been given to Colchester’s Visual Arts Facility by private donors.
Firstsite, the organisation which will run the controversial centre when it opens, has announced it has received £1,005,688.
The cash will go towards fitting out the building once work on its exterior is completed in June. The total cost of the project is more than £25million.
Kath Wood, director of Firstsite, said: “Firstsite is proud to have raised more than £1million to date from private funders towards the new building, which will play its part in putting Colchester on the cultural map at home and overseas.”
The total includes £315,000 in individual donations, including £12,000 from the sale of 60 floorboards in the Vaf. The remainder comes from trusts and foundations, including a £250,000 pledge from the Foundation for Sport and the Arts.
Chelmsford-based charitable trust Fowler, Smith and Jones has also supported the building, in particular the educational opportunities it will offer local youngsters.
The trust has promised a grant of £180,000 once a completion date has been set.
Paul Smith, Colchester councillor responsible for culture, said Firstsite hitting its target was another sign the Vaf was finally on the right track.
He added: “I think it shows the project is gaining momentum.
“When it’s completed, it’s something which I’m sure everyone in Colchester will have an interest in seeing.”
Overall, the cost of the project has risen from £16.5million to more than £25million.
The Vaf is due to open next year, but no date has yet been set.
Colchester MP Bob Russell, who is a strong critic of Firstsite, questioned if many of those giving money and support to the building, which will feature an art gallery, an auditorium, a restaurant and more, lived in the borough.
He said: “The vast majority of that has come in from corporate donations around the country.
“I’m not aware of a single company, organisation, club or individual from Colchester involved.”
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