Save R-CADE Fundraiser
- R-CADE Glasgow
- Jan 6
- 4 min read
Updated: Mar 7
REAL TALK TIME
Last year we unfortunately had one of the worst year's for our business, and on top of that we have been hit with with some very sizeable bills that we simply do not have the funds to pay. We don't enjoy talking about the negative side of running a business, but we want to be completely honest and 100% transparent; with everything that has happened over the past 12 months, we might not make it through 2026 without help.
If you've never heard of or visited R-CADE, then we are a small venue in Glasgow City centre full of games and nostalgia. On one side we have a retro console arcade, hosting over 2000 retro video games on original home consoles and CRT's from the past 5 decades. On the other side is our cafe where we have over 300 boardgames and tabletop games, and a hand crafted food and drinks menu to stay, play and enjoy our space. We host family friendly game sessions, kids friendship clubs, quiz nights, game meetups, over 18's party nights, tournaments and so many more inclusive events every month.
R-CADE was launched in 2018 and since then we have been so lucky to have watched kids celebrate multiple birthdays with us, witnessed first dates, engagements, new friendships blossom and old friends meet up after many years.
In the past year we have seen so many local businesses close due to rising costs, and less people going out because money is tight. It's sad and frustrating to see comments online from the public saying it's such a shame that these wonderful places are closing, and that they wished they had visited more. We don't want to close, we want to fight, so we plan to shout as loud as we can that we need more people to visit. We want to avoid closing and we want to avoid being yet another former business reading all of the 'I wish I had visited more' comments, so now is the time for us to shout about it.
Throughout February we created the Save R-CADE Fundraiser month. On the 31st of January we launched our 'Save R-CADE' fundraiser with a party. From there we spent the month of February hosting raffles, special events, auctions and a whole host of other offers and discounts to reach our goal of £10k. Money from all of our ticket events, raffles and donations were added to a fundraising total.
Save R-CADE Launch Party: Saturday 31st January, 6pm- fully booked
This launch party will kick off our month of fundraising, and will include an evening of video games and our big R-CADE raffle! This will be a ticketed event and by purchasing a ticket to our launch party you will receive 4 hours of game time, and 5 raffle tickets for our fundraising raffle that will be drawn after 8pm on the same night (with option to purchase more tickets during the party). Items will include rare R-CADE merch, gaming items and game passes! Full list of raffle items have been posted on our socials. This will be an over 18's event and free BYOB for the entire evening!
We will be streaming LIVE on our Twitch and YouTube channel for 24 hours from R-CADE with a fundraising button available throughout the event. We will be playing lots of games, challenging the staff to silly tasks, inviting special guests for game time, and you can donate to make us to do crazy things or even be part of the stream yourself!
We want to get the kids involved in our fundraising too. On Sunday the 22nd of February we will be holding a sponsored kids game day in the arcade. A bumper 3 hour game session for our little fundraisers, with mini tournaments, participation gifts and a snack and drink for each gamer.
Our Save R-CADE Launch party on the 31st of January was such a huge success that we have now created the Bonus Game Party! Purchasing a ticket to our bonus game party will get you 4 hours of game time, and 5 raffle tickets for our fundraising raffle that will be drawn after 8pm (with option to purchase more tickets on the night). Items will include rare R-CADE merch, gaming items and game passes!
This family friendly auction will be our final push to reach our fundraising goal. Families and R-CADE supporters from all around are welcome to attend. This will be an 'open to all, free to attend event at R-CADE. You will not need a ticket to attend, but please note that our video games will not be available to play during this time as we will be holding our auction in the arcade area.
We fully understand that times are tough, that families and individuals no longer have the extra income, we are not asking you to give money if you cannot, and we don't want you to feel guilty if you cannot help financially. There are many other ways you can support and help us stay open: telling friends, sharing us on social media, liking and reposting us online. Supporting financially doesn't even need to be expensive, buying a coffee or popping in for a £1 pick and mix does help, and if you have a spare afternoon and £3 going spare, you can play our boardgames for as long as you like!
