Nobody likes price increases, and we’ve held them off for as long as possible, but from 1st July 2022 our Trustees (who are members who use our services) have agreed to revise our prices.
We’re maintaining our heavily-discounted places on every course for those in receipt of benefits. Funds raised through our Half for Hive sales of work support our bursary scheme for those who can’t afford even that. We’re also continuing to do whatever we can to subsidise our costs, and to seek out grant funding to cover equipment and overhead costs wherever possible – only around a quarter of our funding comes from membership and course fees.
If you’d like a conversation about our new prices, or the affordability of our services, please do get in touch and book a conversation with Joy.
Membership
At the beginning of the pandemic we reduced our membership fee from £21 to £15 to recognise the reduced availability of our facilities, and the challenges of COVID-19. We’ve held it at that level as long as possible, but from 1st July 2022 membership renewals will be set at £25 (our first increase since 2017).
Membership of Hive means that you have a say in how we are run, enabling you to vote at our AGM. It also means you can use our various studios during drop-in sessions (for free!), and access our Saturday Club for a small charge. Finally it gives you around 15% off all of our courses and workshops – so it could more than pay for itself in just a couple of courses.
If you’re already a member and paid online, you’ll receive a notification when it is time to renew your membership. You can also set it to auto-renew for simplicity. We can also renew your membership at reception, where you can pay by cash or card.
Materials
Our ‘weigh and pay’ prices for clay haven’t increased for even longer than our membership price. The cost of the cheaper clays (Croxton, Terracotta and Sculpture Crank) will now be £5/kilo, with the more expensive clays (Black, White, Porcelain, Raku and Casting Slip) at £7/kilo. Our mixed clay (which can contain elements of any of the above) is remaining at its current price of £5/kilo.
Don’t forget, you pay per 10g for the pre-fired weight of your sculpture, and the cost includes glazing and firing. Just fill in a ‘weigh and pay’ slip and pay at reception (cash or card).
Refreshments
The cost for tea or coffee will now be 50p per cup. Help yourself and pop your 50p piece in the box on the wall.
Course fees
You may see some small increases in the price of our courses (a few pounds). Don’t forget, as a member you get around 15% off all course prices, and all of our courses have heavily-discounted places for those on benefits. We also have a bursary scheme for those who can’t afford to pay anything: contact us for details.
As a registered charity, we exist for the public benefit and not to make profit. We rely on a large amount of grant funding to deliver our creative and transformational art activities to community groups, those who need support with their mental health, refugees and asylum seekers, young people, older people, those facing isolation and many more. Any surplus we make is ploughed back into improving our services. We’re always happy to accept donations, either in the donation boxes on the walls of our studios, or you can donate online.
