Twerto Posted December 5, 2007 Report Share Posted December 5, 2007 http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/scotland/north_east/7128461.stm sad day indeed. been a long time since I've been, but got a few good but blurred memories of here Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wheesht Posted December 5, 2007 Report Share Posted December 5, 2007 http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/scotland/north_east/7128461.stm sad day indeed. been a long time since I've been, but got a few good but blurred memories of here I wonder why? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tlady Posted December 5, 2007 Report Share Posted December 5, 2007 A great shame, It'll be a big miss .. It does beg the question .. if a "mid range" arts venue can't sustain itself in Aberdeen .. What chance does the Mareel have .. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JAStewart Posted December 5, 2007 Report Share Posted December 5, 2007 that sucks Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
breeksy Posted December 5, 2007 Report Share Posted December 5, 2007 A great shame, It'll be a big miss .. It does beg the question .. if a "mid range" arts venue can't sustain itself in Aberdeen .. What chance does the Mareel have .. You forget - Mareel is subsidised by the council, so it doesn't NEED to sustain itself... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mhari P Posted December 5, 2007 Report Share Posted December 5, 2007 Eh? The Lemon Tree was heavily subsidised by their Council. In fact, I was an employee of Aberdeen City Council when I worked there.I'm devastated to hear this news..............and I'm afraid to say, unless the Mareel is allowed to be run as an actual business, it too will suffer the same fate. The Lemon Tree was also heavily reliant on Scottish Arts Council funding and with that comes restrictions on what you're supposed to do in your arts venue (sadly, these restricted activities are usually of the type that LOSES money........typical). Anyway, my understanding is that the Scottish Arts Council withdrew their funding last year and problems have been spiralling ever since. Staffing problems have also resulted in poor promotion of events = poor attendance = further up turd creek Sad day. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AndyVocoustic Posted December 6, 2007 Report Share Posted December 6, 2007 Aye its sad but oh well.... Harsh on the 50 staff who have lost their jobs 3 weeks before Xmas, but business is business.... The LT was heavily funded, but it just wasn't commercially viable and basically never has been. They were offered a deal involving a loan from the council, after a healthy chunk of funding was stopped, however, unsurprisingly, no-one was willing to take that risk!! It was voluntary liquidation, so its gone. Bye bye. onwards and upwards..... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tlady Posted December 6, 2007 Report Share Posted December 6, 2007 A great shame, It'll be a big miss .. It does beg the question .. if a "mid range" arts venue can't sustain itself in Aberdeen .. What chance does the Mareel have .. You forget - Mareel is subsidised by the council, so it doesn't NEED to sustain itself... I rest my case ... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MJ Posted December 6, 2007 Report Share Posted December 6, 2007 Unfortunately it had been going down hill for a long time. No longer a big student hang out. It seemed to a place for the die hards, even the food had become dire. The board had been mismanaging the place for years, don't blame them for not accepting the council package though, seen simmiar ones from ACC before, I've resigned before being held to one.Will definately miss the studio theatre. Not really a similar suitable space anywhere else.Just Wondering what they'll do to st Kitts now. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AndyVocoustic Posted December 6, 2007 Report Share Posted December 6, 2007 maybe Donald Trump will step in with a rescue package..... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AndyVocoustic Posted December 6, 2007 Report Share Posted December 6, 2007 Its not all doom and gloom.....http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/scotland/north_east/7130690.stm but this will rip up a considerable part of Union Terrace Gardens, one of the only such spaces in centre of town; and all the issue about losses and council funding etc etc etc etc etc etc.... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
shetlandbairn Posted December 6, 2007 Report Share Posted December 6, 2007 A lot of the smaller up and coming bands seem to play at venues such as Moshulu now. Not sure if that's had a detrimental effect on The Lemon Tree or not but I've noticed a definite shift. Shame it's closed though as it was a good place to watch a gig. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ex Lemon Tree Employee :( Posted December 9, 2007 Report Share Posted December 9, 2007 www.savethelemontree.org Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
peeriebryan Posted December 9, 2007 Report Share Posted December 9, 2007 There's a "Save The Lemon Tree" Facebook group - www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=6336418537 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mhari P Posted December 9, 2007 Report Share Posted December 9, 2007 Here's a message from a myspace bulletin from The Lemon Tree www.savethelemontree.orginfo@savethelemontree.org The Scottish Arts Council last year cut its annual funding which totalled £800,000 for the period of 2002-2006. We argue that the £150,000 debt the organisation now owes can be seen as a direct knock-on effect of this. It's a popular misconception that the Lemon Tree was a commercially run music venue - it was a charitable arts organisation encompassing a music, theatre, kids theatre, development, comedy and dance programme. It was the very structure of it being a charitable organisation that it would always be dependent on external support. On 4th December, the Council retracted all of its funding and instead offered a loan which would leave voluntary Board members liable for £25,000 each. It was the Board's decision that the Lemon Tree could not continue under these circumstances. Today, Local government have been lobbying the council to support the arts and have criticised them for withdrawing their funding to the Lemon Tree. In response to this £150,000 debt, the Board were last month seriously rethinking the organisation of the Lemon Tree. Please show your support! Write to the newspapers and tell them what the venue meant to you.. bands, theatre/dance groups, comedians especially! Any large donations (made through the website) will receive mass publicity and acknowledgement. And if you're in a band, please help us by offering to play at our fundraiser gig. info@savethelemontree.org www.savethelemontree.org Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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