Clutha Music Art Drama Hub

The Clutha Bar

The Clutha Bar is situated on the banks of the Clyde sitting on the corner of the ancient main gateway to the city of Glasgow. The bar, over 200 years old, is well renowned for live music and attracted many famous figures including the likes of Billy Connolly, Frank Zappa, Woody Guthrie, Spike Milligan, and many more.

Many Glasgow citizens and tourists from far and wide regarded the Clutha Bar as their ‘local’. The bar hosts live music every night and is popular with a wide spectrum of people including lawyers, staff, and even judges from the nearby courts. Poets, Artists, Actors, and of course Musicians from every genre.

Clutha Tradegy

On Friday 29 November 2013, a police helicopter fell from the sky and crashed through the roof of the bar. The pub was playing host to ska band Esperanza, and was packed with about 100 people when the tragic events began to unfold at 22:22.

In the coming days and weeks, the full extent of the tragedy became clear. Ten people were killed, and the pub was destroyed. We can rebuild the pub, but we cannot bring back the lost lives.

A week or so after the accident three teenagers broke into the pub. Looking for anything valuable that they could get their hands on, they made away with some half-full bottles of spirits and four charity cans.

They were soon caught. The headlines the next day included Scum – Grave Robbers – Looters. We thought differently. Our view was that there were three youngsters with no direction in life. Yes, they were totally wrong but these types of kids need a chance in life………. This is when the Clutha Trust was born'

The Charity

The Clutha Trust charity was incorporated in September 2014. Since then, we have exceeded all expectations and have extended the type of work we carry out. The Covid Pandemic changed everyone’s lives and as a charity, we had to adapt and focus on how we could help our fellow citizens through these challenging times.

Our vision and core values are now returning to pre-pandemic status, and we will continue to drive forward with these. The lessons we have learned during the years of the pandemic are invaluable and the need to help in the community is even greater. Our constitution has been amended to reflect this other type of work we are doing.

Our main focus is to help young people through music, art and drama. We want to give them the chance to express and develop their talents no matter how deep these gifts are hidden. The pandemic has stolen two years from these young lives. We need to give them this lost time back.

Reasons To Believe

• At the Clutha Trust our main focus and objectives are to help develop, encourage, and showcase young people’s talents. In particular young people who feel disadvantaged or have not had the opportunities or chances afforded to others.

• Inclusivity is at the very core of the organisation and a pathway to improved social inclusion and mental well-being be promoted at these public events. Promoting a positive example to the young and to all our communities.

This is achieved by working with other charities, community groups, and educational organisations

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RECENT & ONGOING PROJECTS.

• CHARITY HUB Our trustees have over twenty years of experience in commercial property development. This gives us the advantage to negotiate the occupation of empty properties with various landlords. Our charity currently occupies offices of around 60,000sq.ft in Glasgow city centre. We have created a charity hub that facilitates and furnish offices for fifteen different charities

• CLUTHA KIDS We give young musicians/singers the chance to perform on the Clutha stage, leading to the kids performing at two sell-out concerts at the Glasgow Barrowland

• C.A.S.T. The Clutha Actors Studio appoints young graduate actors to perform plays at schools, theatres, and within local communities. The plays carry a message such as anti-bullying and topical subjects such as the power crisis. We always engage with students and pupils by incorporating workshops and inclusion in the plays.

• OFFICE FURNITURE DONATION We source donations of high-quality office furniture and catering equipment from large facility management companies. This equipment is either sold to raise funds or donated to other charities. Over the past three years, we have donated equipment worth over £750,000 to these charities.

• CLUTHA PIZZA FOODBANK We have supplied almost 25,000 handmade pizzas to local foodbanks and community groups

• ART SUPPLY We supply art materials to various schools. The kids then exhibit their work at the Clutha Bar

• GUITAR AND MUSICAL INSTRUMENT DONATIONS. We refurbish and recycle musical instruments for schools, charities, and individuals

• CLUTHA TV We offer a free service to charities and community groups producing short promotional videos

Clutha Music Art Drama Hub

The Clutha Music Art & Drama Hub is an innovative proposal for the site the Clutha Bar sits on. This prominent site on the corner of the ancient gateway to Glasgow has uninterrupted views down the river Clyde and east over the Glasgow Green.

The history of the site deserves an iconic building, and the Clutha Music Art Drama Hub will surpass all expectations. Although built in a modern style, the building will incorporate historical features of the old Clutha. The design will also feature exterior lighting further enhancing the building.

The Clutha Bar is extremely important to the city of Glasgow and its people. The hub will ensure the future of the bar for decades if not indefinitely. Revenue created from the hub will not only secure this future but will enable the Clutha Trust charity to function and carry out its core activities without the need for grants or donations.

The new Clutha on the ground floor will sit behind a glass wall. Features behind this wall will include important elements of the old Clutha, including the archway, parts of the stone structure, the timber windows, and many other important artifacts. The main bar will be designed with a sympathetic view of the old Clutha.

Behind the new bar a Vennel (lane) will run between Clyde St. and the Briggait. Access to the Theatre, basement bar and upper floors will be gained from here. The east wall will also feature a memorial to those killed in the accident of 2013. The memorial will be of ten guitars, signed by famous pop stars/musicians. The guitars will be enclosed within the wall behind a glass screen, with each guitar individually lit

Ground floor and Basement

The Clutha Bar 3,000 sq. ft. Coffee bar/ leisure space 3,000 sq. ft. Speakeasy basement bar 2,500 sq. ft. 300-seat theatre in the basement,

In a addition to the Clutha Trust activities, the Hub will offer space to other charities and community groups.

This will include Theatre, Rehearsal rooms, Teaching areas, Recording studio, Residential units, Private cinema, Function rooms for fundraising events,

New Clutha over 3,000 Sq.ft.

Speakeasy Bar

300 seat Theatre

1,200 sq. ft coffee bar

Clutha Memorial Wall

In addition to acting as a barrier between the pub and the upper apartments, floors one and two offer 14,000sq.ft of grade A office space. These floors will be used as office space, and teaching areas and will also contain a fifty-seater Private Cinema