ONE of Llanidloes’ top attractions says it is “truly struggling to survive” as a result of the coronavirus lockdown.

The Quilt Association, which owns the Minerva Arts Centre in Llanidloes, has revealed on May 1 that it had been hit hard by the loss of hire charges from cancelled events.

The arts charity promotes quilting and patchwork, and has a growing collection of more than 200 antique quilts at its High Street base in Llanidloes.

It also holds popular events which attract hundreds of people to the town every year including the Wool and Willow Festival and the Spring Exhibition which have now been cancelled as a result of government measures to slow down the spread of coronavirus.

Even though the centre is closed, trustees still have to pay overheads such as insurance and utility bills.

Chris Shercliff, Quilt Association trustee, said: “If we can raise £2,500 to see us through 2020, hopefully we can reopen when the lockdown is lifted knowing that we are financially secure.

“We can’t see any prospect of the events we have planned throughout the summer taking place. Both our Summer exhibition, when we display some of our antique quilts and Dathliad, which showcases the art and design work of students at Llanidloes High School are stewarded by volunteers.

“The majority of these are members of the local quilt group, many of whom are over 70 and shielding and we cannot ask them to put their own health at risk.”

Minerva Arts Centre said in a post on social media: “The Quilt Association and our home, Minerva, is run by six volunteers and we are truly struggling to survive having lost a huge amount of our annual income from hiring out Minerva this year.

“Our Spring Exhibition should have been opening tomorrow, followed by Wool and Willow in June but both of these have been cancelled as have all of our events since the Covid-19 lockdown began.

“All of our events bring huge numbers of visitors to our beautiful town every year. We don’t know when we will re-open but we still have overheads to pay.

"The Wool and Willow Festival said on Monday, May 4, that it was “very sorry” to announce that the event had to be cancelled but will “definitely be back in 2021”.

The arts charity has launched a fundraising page for money to help it continue to conserve and care for antique and vintage quilts.

  • To show your support for the Quilt Association and Minerva Arts Centre, go to https://localgiving.org/the-quilt-association