Leigh on Sea based start-up company Indirock raise over 25% of their target o £25,000 within hours of launching.
Indirock is a new bouldering wall coming to Southend.
It will centre around bouldering – rock climbing stripped back to its raw essentials. A venue for the whole community, Indirock will include a coffee shop run by our partners Hugo’s Pantry, with space for remote working, and maybe a yoga and events space as the business grows.
The team are aiming to reach their target of £25,000 towards the whopping half a million pounds cost of Indirock.
Founder Emily Vermont says ‘We are just overwhelmed by the support so far! Blown away actually! The pandemic may have put a spanner in the works but it won’t stop us- we just need a cash boost to get over the first hurdle and ready to begin building so we can open in The Victoria Shopping Centre early 2021. Thank you so much to everyone that has contributed so far – thank you thank you!’
Why?
Founders, husband and wife duo- Emily and Gordon’s vision is of a future where Southend has got its soul back. Where the town centre is buzzing with creative spaces, social venues, places where people can relax and call home.
They envisage a Southend where young people from any background have access to opportunities to reach their full potential, and people from all walks of life rub shoulders and take an interest in each other.
Southend’s level of physical health doesn’t compare well with the rest of the UK. 74% of Southend’s 15-year olds are sedentary for at least 7 hours a day. 24% of Southend’s adults are physically inactive, full stop.
In a piece of research done by our council, Southend residents said that if there were more “fun and sociable” activities on offer, they’d be more likely to exercise. That’s where bouldering comes in.
Why now?
Bouldering is booming! There are over 30 walls already in London and 1.5 million people in the UK climbed last year. Indirock will bring the adventure and enjoyment of bouldering to Southend
Gordon says ‘We want to be part of the revival of our town, Southend-on-Sea We love Southend and we see Indirock playing a positive role bringing new visitors to the area, encouraging footfall and with our community focus, keeping them here for longer young people need a hand up, not a handout. Indirock will support vulnerable young people from our local area into work, to achieve their full potential. We’ll offer around 20 local people job opportunities and job skills training for those who need it most’
So, what’s the plan?
In Emily and Gordons own words:
‘Well, back in the spring of 2020 we were ready to sign the lease on our venue and start building the first phase of our brand-new facility. The plans were drawn, the lease was nearly signed… and then the global pandemic hit! Like thousands of other businesses, we were stopped in our tracks.
As it happens we also welcomed our first child into the world over the summer, so although lockdown was tough, it was a good opportunity to pause. We’ve had more time with our daughter and also to renegotiate the best lease we can get to shore up Indirock’s future.
However, the pause on building work meant that what was already costing a whopping half a million pounds, is getting more pricey by the day. We’ve secured a large portion of the costs through funding, savings, loans and investments, but by contributing to this Crowdfunder you will get us over an important hurdle so we can start the building work for phase 1, pretty much NOW!’
