SAGE Gateshead, the region's flagship music centre, has announced the loss of 110 jobs following a redundancy consultation process.

The consultation, which began on August 3, took place as the organisation sought ways to mitigate the projected £10 million loss caused by the Covid-19 crisis, whilst remaining able to play an active role in the region’s recovery.

A spokesperson said: “Like many organisations across all sectors, Sage Gateshead has had to find ways of controlling the financial impact of the pandemic.

"This has involved some incredibly difficult decisions, this being the hardest of all. Each and every one of the Sage Gateshead team are highly skilled and dedicated, and it is with deep regret that 110 of our friends and colleagues will be leaving us.”

The charity has fought hard to avoid the redundancies. It launched its Crisis, Recovery and Renaissance fundraising campaign within weeks of the pandemic’s potential financial impact becoming known.

The campaign counts Sting and Dame Margaret Barbour as Patrons.

There has been a positive response in the first 3 months, with £300,000 of donations raised to date. The charity has also maximised its use of Government support packages including

the Corona Virus Job Retention Fund, furloughing the majority of its staff. However, these

measures have proven insufficient in the face of such a large financial impact, exacerbated

by the scale and duration of the pandemic.

The spokesperson said: “Charities like Sage Gateshead, whose self-generated income

outweighs public subsidy by 5:1, have seen the most immediate financial impact. We have

done absolutely everything we can to avoid this situation.”

The organisation now awaits the outcome of its application to the Government’s £1.57 billion arts recovery fund, which is due in coming weeks.

The spokesperson said: “Although we are hopeful that we will receive support from the government’s £1.57bn Cultural Recovery Fund, we cannot expect a wholesale bailout for Sage Gateshead. We know we are going to have to work hard and have already had to

make some tough decisions to survive the effects of the pandemic.”

Last week the charity announced it would be running a seven-week series of live performances at the venue from 23 October. Representing a modest return to activity in its building, the charity stated that the safety of audiences, artists and staff had been at the

forefront of planning.

"It also announced the launch of new online classes for adults and young people, representing a further development of the online activity it began shortly after lockdown.

The spokesperson said: “We know that music and culture have a role to play in the city and the region’s recovery and we are determined to contribute to this. Our goal throughout this process of consultation, therefore, was to ensure that the organisation has a team which can

deliver for people and communities as part of this Covid-19 recovery.”

More information about Sage Gateshead’s Crisis, Recovery and Renaissance fundraising

campaign, can be found online at https://sagegateshead.com/a-future-for-live-music-in-thenorth-

east/ .