Glasgow’s Sub Club launches Save Our Sub fundraiser to prevent permanent closure

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Glasgow’s Sub Club has launched a Save Our Sub fundraiser to prevent permanent closure.

An institution with a 33-year-legacy in Glasgow, Sub Club shared a statement today (7th July) announcing that they are at risk of closure, and have launched the #SaveOurSub crowdfunder with the target of £90,000.

“Along with virtually all venues, and in line with UK Government guidance, we closed the Sub Club doors in March. At the time, we had no way of knowing what the months ahead would look like but we anticipated we might be closed for 8-10 weeks,” Sub Club said. “A whole host of measures were announced by the chancellor including VAT & Business Rates relief, CBIL and Bounce Back Loans and most critically of all, the Job Retention Scheme or “FURLOUGH”.

“Along with most businesses we breathed a sigh of relief as on the surface these measures seemed like they would at least help us weather the storm and offer a fighting chance that the Sub Club would still be afloat when we reached the other side of this crisis. Crucially, we thought that at least we could make sure that all of our 30+ staff members were looked after and provided for during such a difficult time.”

“Despite months of trying to address mistakes and errors on HMRC’s own system before the crisis began, we were eventually told we didn’t meet the eligibility criteria for the Job Retention Scheme, as our payroll information had been uploaded 1 day late, resulting in the refusal of our rebate claim of £31,864 which we had already paid to staff. It’s important to note that the cutoff date within the eligibility criteria was applied retrospectively, so this was not a mistake on our part, it was a failure on the HMRC system which has caused us to be barred from the scheme.”

“Not only are all our fantastic staff left without income or the prospect of working in the near future, but all the DJs who play at the club, all the promoters who put such effort into putting on amazing nights and events, all the tech staff and others who earn their corn as freelancers and depend on us for their livelihoods, are left high and dry. Many of these people have been with the club for many years and in some cases several decades!”

From donation packages starting at £10, in true Sub Club spirit, each donation will give the supporter something back. Digital prints, physical prints, tickets, t-shirts, and entry into a raffle for lifetime membership are all on offer, and the crowdfunder has so far raised £10,000. All donations to the Sub Club will be split between weekly running costs, recovering over £30,000 denied in furlough from HMRC, infrastructure investment for re-opening following the pandemic, and to launch a staff hardship fund. The club also hopes to launch “Dazzle Fund”, a new charitable initiative.

You can find out more about Sub Club’s crowdfunder and donate here.