Our Supporters
With up to £7m of support for Mercury Rising in place already, we're fundraising now for the final £1.7m!
Our funding partners
The Mercury Rising campaign is off to a flying start thanks to the support of Arts Council England, Colchester Borough Council and Essex County Council.
Arts Council England have granted the Mercury £400,000 to kick start the project, with a further £3.6m to follow in 2017 subject to successfully progressing to the second stage of the project.
Colchester Borough Council have provided £1m in grant support to the project, and will underwrite/guarantee a further £1m loan if it is required.
Essex County Council have supported the project with a £1m grant from its capital fund.
We’d like to say a huge thank you to these partners for their support!
We’re now fundraising for £1.7m from public donations and from other partnerships – so why not take a look and get in touch with your thoughts! You can also read more about our supporters here.
Congratulations to the winners in the first ever Mercury Rising Raffle!
And the winners are….
Mr G. Cole – £250 Fenwicks voucher
Miss C. Wheatley – Overnight stay in a deluxe room with breakfast at Greyfriars
N. Karalage – £150 of National Theatre Tokens
Miss A. Tuthill – M&S Luxury Hamper
N. Karalage – 1 year adult pass for Beth Chatto Gardens
Mr K. Holland – Dinner for 2 at The Barn
Mrs J. Kirkham – Afternoon Tea at Tymperleys voucher
Mrs A. Brown – Colchester Monopoly board game
Mrs Beadles – adult entry pass to Aqua Springs
Mr B. Wills – 2 x child entry tickets to Go Bananas
M. Wheatley – Bottle of Virgin brut prosecco
Mr K. Berriman – Dome 8 iphone cases x 2
Messages of Support
The nation’s favourite grumpy medic and much-loved man behaving badly Martin Clunes
I believe passionately in the importance of regional theatre and having served my first role in rep at the Mercury in Colchester, the Theatre has a special significance for me. I encourage you all to support and help this venue in any way you can. The fundraising campaign Mercury Rising will achieve this, and make for a fantastic place in Colchester for the whole community there to enjoy.
West end Star Michael Ball
I passionately support the progress of the Mercury Theatre and the important role that it plays in the development of regional arts communities and talents alike. It is essential to strive towards creating spaces and places for creative minds, performers and people seeking an avenue of expression or entertainment to have today and for future generations. To reconstruct the physical building brings with it the opportunity to open the doors wider and be a platform for local talent to shine to the nation.
British actor Robert Lindsay
As someone who started their career in regional theatre before my film and television career I am hugely supportive of the planned development at the Mercury Theatre. I am confident that this will bring more opportunity and cultural lifelines to many individuals and aspiring creatives within the local and regional area. Improved and additional facilities will elevate the reputation of the theatre itself and put the town on the map for professional companies and performers and visitors. The improved facilities will allow and inspire more people to join in, watch or help create what is set to be a fantastic and vital hub for the education and well-being of our community. To support something that offers real benefits and vision for future generations of artists and those that will be entertained is a pleasure and a necessity.
From our launch event
Great to launch @mercurytheatre fundraising campaign w/ @willquince in HoC today-v pleased to support #MercuryRising pic.twitter.com/4ljjoJLzPh
— Matt Hancock (@MattHancockMP) September 5, 2016
Looking radiant yesterday at launch of fundraising drive for the lovely Mercury Theatre in Colchester#mercuryrising pic.twitter.com/EJFltrkWKP
— Pam Ayres (@PamAyres) September 6, 2016
Thanks to the following companies for supporting our Mercury Rising Raffle
