Sheffield Soup pitch contest in prestigious move to Crucible Theatre

A Sheffield pitching contest will move to the Crucible after winning the approval of theatre bosses.
Pennie RavenPennie Raven
Pennie Raven

Sheffield Soup will be held in the famous venue four times a year, plus three social events.

Delighted founder Pennie Raven said it was a sign it had become an established part of the city's business and cultural community

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Set up in 2015, the contest combines the Dragon's Den and crowd-funding. 

On the night, four contestants get four minutes to talk about an idea to improve life in the city.

The audience decides the winner, who goes home with the door takings - after a bowl of soup. The average is £500, the biggest audience has been 180 and there have been 13 events.

It is currently based at St Mary's conference centre on Bramall Lane.

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Organiser Pennie Raven said: 'I'm unbelievably pleased. It was part of my vision to be in the Crucible but its come five years early. It's the perfect place.'

Attendance numbers were likely to go up after the move, she added.

Dan Bates, chief executive of Sheffield Theatres, said he was thrilled to support the city's entrepreneurial spirit.

'We're delighted to be hosting the next Sheffield Soup at the Crucible. We hope that being here will enable more people to come along and build on their ever-growing following. We're so excited by the entrepreneurial spirit in the city, and we're thrilled to be able to support it in this way.'

Sheffield Soup is on October 8, the deadline is September 25. Go to www.sheffieldsoup.com