Sage Gateshead

• As the price of energy soars, Sage Gateshead and Baltic Centre for Contemporary Arts have joined Gateshead Council’s Warm Spaces Network to open their doors to the local community this Winter
• The venues are offering free entry to the heated building, as well as free Wi-Fi, charging points, and pay-what-you-can tea and coffee
• The Warm Spaces Network is operating across Gateshead and eligible buildings are encouraged to join the directory

As part of Gateshead Council’s Warm Spaces Network, Sage Gateshead and Baltic Centre for Contemporary Art will be opening their doors to the public, no questions asked, to support the local community through the harsh winter months.

As annual energy bills for a typical household rise by about 27%, despite the Government’s renewed price cap promise, for many families and individuals across Gateshead, this cost – alongside the rising cost of food and other essentials – remains simply unaffordable.

Offering free entry to the building, refreshments, and areas for work and play, the Warm Spaces initiative is made up of venues, libraries, town halls, sports clubs and community centres across Gateshead. Members of the local community will be greeted with a warm welcome and treated with dignity and respect in a non-judgemental environment. Sage Gateshead and Baltic are also offering free Wi-Fi and charging spots and Pay What you Can tea and coffee. Both venues have baby-changing facilities and accessible toilets.

The organisations taking part have all signed up for the Warm Spaces charter, which was developed in collaboration with the Gateshead Poverty Truth Commission. The charter guarantees that everyone who visits a Warm Space will be welcomed.

Organisations who want to create a new Warm Space can apply for a grant and receive support such as training sessions to ensure they are of sufficient quality. The Warm Spaces Network is operating across Gateshead and eligible buildings are encouraged to join the directory.

Sage Gateshead is open Thursday to Sunday from 9.30 (from 8.45 on Saturday and Sunday) until 6pm on non-performance nights. On performance nights, the building will remain open until one hour after the end of the performance (approximately 11.30pm)

BALTIC Centre for Contemporary Art is open Wednesday – Sunday, 10am-6pm.

-ENDS-

For press inquiries please contact Susie Gray, The Corner Shop PR – susie@thecornershoppr.com / 07834 073795 or Orla Noble, The Corner Shop PR – orla@thecornershoppr.com

Notes to Editors:

Warm Spaces facilities at Sage Gateshead:

• Free entry
• Pay What You Decide Tea and Coffee
• Charging facilities
• Parking
  Fully stocked baby changing facilities and toilets stocked with free sanitary products
• Accessible toilets with a Changing Places hoist system
• Children’s Play Space

Warm Spaces facilities at Baltic:

• Free entry
• Pay What You Decide Tea and Coffee
• Charging facilities
• Parking
  Fully stocked baby changing facilities and toilets stocked with free sanitary products
• Free entry Sensory Room

About Sage Gateshead

• Sage Gateshead and Baltic are served by the Gateshead District Energy Scheme which supplies low-carbon heat and power to the district energy network across Gateshead town centre and the Gateshead Quays area.
• Sage Gateshead is an international music centre for the North East and wider North, and is home to the acclaimed Royal Northern Sinfonia. Through music, creative learning and artist development, the organisation shows what music can achieve for communities. It is for audiences, for artists, for the North and for the long term.
• Since opening in 2004, Sage Gateshead has worked side by side with partners and the wider community to help address the complex blend of social and economic challenges the region faces.
• Sage Gateshead continues to be a major employer and has brought investment and tourism into the region, generating c. £500 million contribution to the local economy, a sum six times greater than its combined capital cost.
• Sage Gateshead has brought social, cultural and educational value to over 10 million people and millions more via digital and broadcast activity. The scale of its artistic, learning and artist development activity places Sage Gateshead amongst the UK’s largest cultural organisations, while reaching a substantially more socially and economically diverse audience.
• Pre-pandemic Sage Gateshead attracted 2 million visitors; 5,000 people took part in weekly music classes; 17,854 school children experienced live orchestral music and we worked with a further 2,418 vulnerable young people; more than 2,000 adults a week took part in music making designed to tackle social isolation.
• The North East region is one of the worst affected by Covid-19. The region will be one where the recovery is slow and hard. Arts and culture have a pivotal role to play in regional and nation-wide recovery.
• Covid-19 presents a major financial challenge to Sage Gateshead, the iconic Foster + Partners designed NE landmark. 80% of its income has been affected, and in 2020/21 £10 million in revenue was lost. The organisation has taken swift action to overcome this crisis. 90% of the workforce was placed on furlough, significant cost savings have been sought and found, and it launched a fundraising campaign to raise £3 million to help secure the organisation during the next three years. Further challenges lie ahead; in 2021/22, Sage Gateshead estimates box office and trading income to be less than half of what would be expected in a normal year.
• Sage Gateshead temporarily closed to the public on 17 March 2020, five days ahead of the announcement of the national lockdown. Sage Gateshead recommenced performances in October 2020 with a season of socially distanced concerts featuring Royal Northern Sinfonia and artists across genres, made available by live stream; audiences were able to be present in the hall for two weekends of those performances.
• In 2020 Sage Gateshead received a grant of £2.8 million from
  the Culture Recovery Fund Round One to help it through the pandemic and associated financial crisis. In 2021 the charity received a loan of £3m from the Culture Recovery Fund Round Two to support recovery. It has thanked the Department for Culture, Media and Sport, and Arts Council England for this vital support.

About BALTIC Centre for Contemporary Art

• Baltic Centre for Contemporary Art creates and produces exhibitions, events and learning opportunities which explore the role of artists from across the world. Located on Gateshead quayside, BALTIC has 2,600 square metres of exhibition space making it the UK’s largest gallery dedicated to the art and artists of today and tomorrow.
• Baltic welcomes visitors free of charge, all year round to experience art, talks, performance and activities in a fully accessible building. Over 8 million have walked through its doors since opening in 2002. Beyond its bricks, Baltic connects and exchange with communities, individuals and groups exploring creativity, social connections and wider understanding of the world.
• In February 2022, Baltic was awarded the title Gallery of Sanctuary, recognising its efforts in supporting sanctuary seekers, raising awareness of forced migration and celebrating cultures. The title, the first Gallery of Sanctuary in England, was awarded by City of Sanctuary UK, a nationally coordinated network of organisations and services, including cities, universities, theatres and libraries that welcome and support refugees and people seeking asylum. City of Sanctuary’s Awards recognise and celebrate organisations that go above and beyond to welcome people seeking sanctuary.