Gaming store in Bull Yard is being forced to relocate...

[dutchman]

Escape Games is one of the businesses and organisations being forced to move to make way for the regeneration of the city centre



A Coventry store which describes itself as “a valued part of local geek culture” is appealing for help as it seeks to find a new home. Escape Games is located in Bull Yard in Coventry city centre.

But the retailer is being forced to move out to make way for the huge City Centre South regeneration scheme, which will see parts of the city centre levelled and a number of other businesses and organisations forced to move as a result. Escape Games, which describes itself as 'Coventry’s leading venue for card games, board games, role-play games and war games' says it managed to survive the pressures of the pandemic, only to be handed a forced eviction notice by the council.

It is still hoping to continue in a new home, but says its finances are now tight and has appealed to the public for help to help fund it's relocation by setting up a Go Fund Me page. It's target is £5,000 and it had raised £425 as of Tuesday August 23 - almost a tenth of its target.

The GoFundMe appeal says: “Escape Games is a company that has been operating in Coventry in some form or another for over 10 years. We have been supporting the community by offering a safe space for people to meet other people and play games, be they card, role-playing, miniatures or even video games. We specialise in assisting those with neuroatypical conditions.

“Unfortunately, the Covid-19 pandemic has hit our community hard, draining a considerable amount our savings in order to weather the storm, which we did successfully. We have emerged on the other side in a reasonably stable position, only for the local council to hand us a forced eviction notice, as they planned to tear down the entire local area where our community centre is located in.

“With our rainy-day fund being gone, we now have to turn to the community to ask for assistance in helping us to move. Escape Games has been a valued part of the local geek culture of Coventry for a considerable amount of the lives of our service users, as well as serving as an area for people to rest and recuperate and we would like to continue being a valued part of their life and community for many years to come, but sadly, in order to do that, we will require enough money for us to move our shop to somewhere suitable. Somewhere that we can continue to provide the same level of care and attention for our service users and the community as a whole.”

The GoFundMe appeal and details of how to donate can be found here.

[dutchman]

Coventry businesses welcome extension before redevelopment



A charity has said a delayed notice to leave its premises due to a city centre redevelopment will help it support vulnerable families through the winter.

Parts of Coventry, including the city's Bull Yard and the City Arcade, are set for demolition under the City Centre South project.

Businesses were due to close by the end of January 2023, but have now been advised of an extension to 31 May.

Coventry City Council has said it is helping businesses relocate.

Ann McCabe, from community café Coffee Tots, which provides parenting support, said the extension would allow them to carry on helping "some of the most vulnerable families in Coventry".

The charity's building, based in City Arcade, is set to be demolished under the £400m project.

"We're really worried about our families," said the family support coordinator, "and concerned a lot of them won't have access to a hot meal".

The café offers a pay-what-you-can meal and a "safe warm space", she said.

Efforts to relocate the charity had been "put on hold", she said, due to the "uncertainty of energy costs".

"The four-month extension means we can remain in the same place and plan for our short-term future."

Alan Denyer, who set up and runs LTB Showrooms near the city's Bull Yard, said the extension would allow him to plan for the future and programme events and activities.

The independent community arts venue was set up to utilise space above The Litten Tree pub, which is also due for demolition.

He said in the remaining 240 days he would continue "helping hundreds and hundreds of people with free wall space and setting up workshops and film screenings".

Regarding relocation, he said: "I will be having various conversations with stakeholders, the council and private landowners just to see what the possibilities are out there.

"I feel obligated to the people that we serve; it's not just about me and finding a new space for what I enjoy, there's a lot of people out there that really rely on these kind of safe spaces," he added.

[dutchman]

The money will run out before it's ever built, like every other City Council project!