Ginglik needs a life-line
by Hammersmith and Fulham Press Office
19/09/2008
The managers of a local club are looking for a financial backer after struggling to find the money they need for repairs.
Ginglik – a popular bunker-style venue in the old Edwardian toilet underneath Shepherds Bush Green – needs a £300,000 overhaul to make it safe.
Without work to replace the roof the building will eventually become a serious hazard according to building surveyors.
Since its opening seven years ago, Ginglik has hosted a variety of events, especially comedy and music. The council is the landlord of the property and is working overtime to help the club out of its predicament.
Councillor Paul Bristow, Hammersmith & Fulham (H&F) Council Cabinet Member for Residents’ Services, met with the venue’s managers – partners Tammi Willis and Colin Welsh – earlier this month.
The council is ready to consider a range of options for the future of the club should Tammi and Colin find a private sector backer to bail them out. If the club can find a serious offer it could still survive in its current venue.
Councillor Bristow said: “The council has always wanted to save Ginglik and while taxpayers cannot afford the £300,000 worth of repairs, there could be other ways to save the Ginglik. As the current landlord we are working with Tammi and Colin to help them look at a range of solutions.”
Because of deadlines relating to the £3.3 million refurbishment of Shepherds Bush Green, the club’s managers must find a financial backer to pay for the repairs soon if they want to stay in the subterranean venue.
The club, which boasts 25,000 members, has started a Facebook campaign to save the venue and held a ‘Save Ginglik’ party last Saturday, 20 September.
Councillor Bristow added: “We back the Ginglik’s efforts to save their club 100 per cent and will continue to support them in any way we can.”
Musicians Paulo Nutini and Newton Faulkner, and comedians Rory Bremner, Jimmy Carr and Harry Hill are among those to have played at the Ginglik.
