Appeal as Sheffield LGBTQ+ arts group under threat after big losses at city event
Concerns for Sheffield LGBTQ+ organisation as fundraiser launched
The future of a Sheffield gay organisation is under threat after 10 years, following big losses at a recent event.
Andro and Eve, which describes itself as ‘a not for profit queer arts organisation’, was hit by a £1,500 loss on its recent Reyt Queer Extravaganza, held earlier this month, because of spiralling costs and weaker ticket sales than predicted.
Now the organisation, which runs events in Sheffield and South Yorkshire with Arts Council funding, is looking to raise £2,000 to secure its future.
Organisers said in a statement, published on the GoFundMe crowdfunding website: “We need this funding now to recoup these costs and cover our budget deficit. Andro and Eve, despite our 10 year history, is only a tiny organisation, and we do not hold enough reserves to cover these costs. These losses threaten our future.”
“Our budget for this programme of activity was set in June 2025. Despite us building in a healthy contingency, the difference in project costs outstripped the contingency we built in. We could not have predicted the dire situation caused by the current economic and political crises, with the Iran War having major impact. Transport, fuel, printing, accommodation, food - everything has gone up in price, while our funding remained the same.“
Andro and Eve’s programme of creative activity run in Sheffield and Doncaster between October 2025 and May 2026 has seen it deliver six dance workshops, a weekend of ‘drag king’ workshops, three large scale gay performance events, a volunteer training session, and an artist development day for local LGBTQ+ artists.
Andro and Eve was established in 2016 in response to the lack of accessible and inclusive opportunities to enjoy gay culture in Sheffield not focused around late night venues or drinking, and is run by a board of volunteer directors.
It has run 83 independent LGBTQ+ cultural events, alongside commissions for other organisations, engaging with over 5,300 participants and audience members at events and workshops, and they say their longer term projects have seen the organisation work with LGBTQ+ young people in Sheffield and Doncaster, and trans and non binary adults in Sheffield.
Since 2021 it has delivered Gender Awareness training to over 1000 people, working with organisations across the UK to develop understanding around equity for trans and non-binary people.
Log onto https://www.gofundme.com/f/andro-eve-needs-help-to-fight-rising-costs to donate to the appeal.