My name is Keith Wiseman, and I live in Rushden with my wife and two stepchildren. I also have four children who live with my former wife. Three are involved in theatre, acting and stage electronics. Their interests helped spark my enthusiasm when I visited the Ritz with Reg and Oliver, the current owner.

I could see what a wonderful opportunity this landmark offers our community, and I wanted to help keep that possibility alive.

Reg and I put together a budget and projected profit and loss accounts to explore how the project could work. Unfortunately, at the asking rent, our projections showed an annual loss—even before allowing for lower sales in the expected quietest months, January and February.

A couple of weeks ago, I got back in touch with Oliver to ask whether he had found a tenant. As he had not, I submitted the attached lease offer, budget and fundraising plan, which you can read here by clicking on the linked item. Oliver has agreed to accept the offer, provided we can secure the funding.

As I explained in “Who is behind the project?”, seeing the enjoyment of the young people involved in theatre and dance in Yaxley—and watching them develop their skills and confidence—inspired me. I believe Rushden’s young people could benefit from similar opportunities.

I’m prepared to invest a great deal of my time in making the project happen: from fundraising and helping prepare the site to supporting its day-to-day running. I’ll be doing this alongside my full-time job, so I know it will take commitment and careful planning. My managing director has been supportive of my involvement in the project.

I’d also like to build a team of people who can share the work and help make the Ritz a success.

The pictures show the work Oliver and his team have completed at the front of the site. The renovated spaces include the foyer, a large back room, a potential bar area and a spacious auditorium—all offering exciting possibilities for the community.

The auditorium really captured my imagination. I’ve seen the enjoyment and professionalism of young people taking part in shows at an academy in Yaxley. The academy offers a range of classes, and its thriving dance and theatre group has made a real difference to young people’s attitudes.

I’d love the auditorium to offer similar opportunities here in Rushden, alongside low-cost and free cinema, a stage for local bands, and other uses suggested by the community.

Although I haven’t lived in Rushden all my life, I’d love to see the Ritz become a focal point for the town, bringing fresh enthusiasm and much-needed footfall.

There are two ways to support the project:

• GoFundMe: Click here
• Our website:  Click here

We intend not to spend donations on project costs until we have enough funding to register a CIC, sign the lease, demonstrate to the landlord that we can complete Phase 1, and open a CIC bank account.

However, GoFundMe and Stripe are payment platforms, not escrow services. Their transfer rules and deadlines apply, so we cannot promise that funds will remain with either platform until those milestones are reached. Before donations are collected, we will clearly explain who receives any payouts, where the funds are held, and how they will be managed.

GoFundMe displays donation information according to its settings, but donors may be able to donate anonymously. Website donations are processed through Stripe, and payouts are set to manual where available. We will also explain how names and addresses collected through the website will be used.

If the project cannot raise enough to proceed with Phase 1, we will seek to return donations. What can be returned, and how, will depend on the platform’s rules and whether the funds have already been paid out. We cannot guarantee that a platform will be able to refund a donation after funds have been transferred.

For website donations, we will ask for the information needed to identify and return donations. If there are donations we cannot return—for example, cash collected in town—we intend to donate the remaining funds to a local charity chosen by a vote. We will publish how that vote will work.

A Community Interest Company (CIC) is a type of limited company set up to benefit the community. It must pass a community interest test and has an asset lock, which helps ensure its assets are dedicated to its community purpose.

A CIC is not a registered charity. It is generally subject to Corporation Tax under the usual rules, and donations to a CIC do not qualify for Gift Aid. A CIC limited by shares may pay dividends, but these are subject to a cap. Directors can be paid, provided the arrangements are appropriate and consistent with the CIC’s community purpose.

When an application to form a CIC is submitted to Companies House, it is considered by the CIC Regulator as part of the registration process. You can read the official GOV.UK guidance.

I will cover the CIC registration fee as part of my initial donation, so that cost is not my main concern. I want to make sure we have enough support and are ready to take on the commitments involved before we register the company and sign a lease.

Having enough support behind the project will give us more confidence to make that commitment.

We cannot open a bank account in the CIC’s name until it has been incorporated. Once it is registered, we will apply for a CIC bank account; the bank will have its own application and checks.

Our goal is to open the Ritz Rushden for the community. Raising £150,000 in donations at the outset is unrealistic, so I have planned a step-by-step approach:

Phase 1: Café and back room
We would start by opening the café and back room, helping to generate income towards the site’s day-to-day running costs. The back room would give community groups and businesses an affordable place to meet, alongside activities such as bingo three or four times a week.

Phase 2: First-floor bar
Next, we would open the first-floor bar, creating another welcoming space where groups can come together.

Phase 3: Auditorium
For this phase, we would seek grants and other funding to equip the auditorium with a large screen and sound system.

Phase 4: Main theatre
The proposed lease gives us the opportunity to explore taking on the main theatre if it is available at the end of the first year and we are in a position to do so.

Grant eligibility and application times vary between funders. Some may require us to be a registered CIC, while others may accept applications from different types of community groups. We will check the requirements and timescales for each grant before applying.

We want the Ritz to be truly community-led. Supporters who donate through the website at the amounts shown in the donation table will also receive the benefits listed there.

The benefits will be available when Phase 1 opens, but their stated duration will begin only once Phase 3 is fully open. These are not charitable donations for Gift Aid purposes. We will make the terms clear before accepting contributions.

The advertising table is a draft guide to opportunities we could offer local businesses to advertise within the site. We expect advertising to begin when Phase 1 is complete. The stated advertising period would begin when Phase 3 opens, so it includes screen advertising in the auditorium.

These options are a starting point, and everything is open to discussion. If your business would like to explore advertising with us, we’d love to hear from you at info@theritzrushden.co.uk.

I’d love to hear from people who would like to be involved. Our current plan is to build a group of people who are not connected by family ties. This is our approach to forming the team, not a legal requirement for registering a CIC.

You do not need to become a director to lend a hand—there are many other ways to help. Please get in touch at info@theritzrushden.co.uk.