Daniel Craig gave £50k to threatened community hub
Reuters
James Bond star Daniel Craig gave a community hub previously at risk of eviction £50,000 to help keep it in its current home.
The actor made the payment to Brimscombe Mill in Stroud, Gloucestershire, after it was the revealed the building had been sold, putting jobs at risk.
It is home to projects such as The Long Table, The Bike Drop, Kids Stuff and The Home Remedy.
Tom Herbert, director at Brimscombe Mill and co-founder of The Long Table, said the donation from the star showed “incredible support” which could “deepen our impact”.
The organisations at the mill were given six months to find a new home in March, which saw many of them open sites at a new location in Cirencester.
The Long Table, one of them, has served more than 38,000 meals to people through its pay-as-you-can model since 2021.
Mr Herbert said the ground “disappeared from underneath us” when the eviction notice was issued “out of the blue”.
“The community rose up and gave a loud ‘no this can’t happen’ on our behalf.
“We had no plan and we didn’t have any cash reserves.
“The thing that happened to us threatened our whole existence,” he added.
He credited the “extraordinary” response from locals, who gathered to share ideas and created a campaign to save the hub.
Although Mr Herbert is unsure how Craig found the project, he believes the news “rippled” out from local press into national papers.
“It obviously landed with him and made an impression. We’re super grateful that he heard the cry and answered,” Mr Herbert said.
“This incredible support from both the community and Daniel Craig speaks to the vitality of what we’re building here at Brimscombe Mill.
“This space has become a lifeline for many, offering not only meals and activities but also a sense of belonging and shared purpose,” he added.
