As part of its review of Regularly Funded Organisations, Arts Council England has stated its intention not to renew its funding of London Bubble Theatre Company from 1 April 2008.

If this recommendation is carried out, it is likely that the company will be forced to wind up after 35 years in existence, during which time Londoners, as audiences and participants, have enjoyed London Bubble's work in parks, schools, theatres, youth settings and beyond.

London Bubble:

• Takes theatre to outer London and has worked in all 33 London Boroughs
• Runs four youth theatres, two adult theatre groups and one intergenerational band
• Delivers long term programmes of work in 20 primary schools and 13 secondary schools
• Is set to launch, with educational speech therapists, a major project helping reception class teachers to use theatre to increase literacy skills
• Has, in the last 3 years, helped over 100 young people from South East London with GCSEs, A levels, degrees, diplomas and apprenticeships
• Attracts 43% of its participants from BMER (Black, Minority Ethnic and Refugee communities)
• Attracts annual audiences of over 10,000 children and adults from diverse backgrounds, over 15% of whom are attending theatre for the first time.
• Has pioneered and established both Forum and Promenade Theatre
• Is currently developing intergenerational projects involving elders, adults and children making theatre alongside each other

All of this work will be lost if Arts Council England agrees this recommendation.

Arts Council England state that their recommendation is based on concerns about the artistic quality of London Bubble's work, but none of the few Arts Council reports on our work has rated it as poor, and there have been no reports on, or visits to, any of the company's education work.  Independent reports have been very positive about the quality of the work.

The London Bubble is appealing against the recommendation.

Jonathan Petherbridge, Artistic Director of London Bubble, states: "We are appalled by Arts Council England's decision. And we are gobsmacked that, while they are threatening to cut London Bubble, which leads in terms of increasing engagement and participation, at the same time Peter Hewitt, Chief Executive of ACE can write in Arts Industry that ‘Our recommendations also take into account our other priorities - the need to increase engagement and participation ...' (14 December 2007).

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