Save R-CADE Fundraiser
- R-CADE Glasgow
- 1 day ago
- 6 min read
Updated: 10 hours ago
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. We want to get back on our feet, so we are going big! On the 31st of January we will be launching our 'Save R-CADE' fundraiser with a party. From there we will be spending 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 will be added to a monthly total that will be available to view on our website during February.
Here is a breakdown of our fundraising events and links:
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 will be posted soon. This will be an over 18's event and free BYOB for the entire evening!
We want to get the kids involved in our fundraising too. On Sunday the 15th 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.
To take part, you must book a spot for your child via the event page HERE, you can then download our fundraising form ( or pop into R-CADE for a printed copy) and gather donations from friends and family before the game day on the 15th of February. Each participant has a fundraising goal of £100 each. Donations can be made in cash or via the donation link on the fundraising form. Forms and cash donations can be brought to the game day on the 15th. We can then announce our total for the event and spend the day playing games and giving out goodies to all the kids. To signup, you can visit our event page HERE.
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!
This will be a closed door event, we will be streaming from the R-CADE venue but will not be open to the public. We will have a ticket page on our website where you can buy a ticket to support our 24 hour livestream. If you buy a ticket you will get a personal shout out on stream. Please note that purchasing a ticket will not grant you access to R-CADE during the live stream.
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 will be publishing a list of our auction items closer to the time on our socials. You can choose to fill out our silent auction form online if you are unable to attend in person, or you can attend our auction at R-CADE for the additional chance to outbid any silent auction bids.
Starting on February 1st, the first ten people to book a full venue private function at R-CADE via the special offer form on our booking page, will get the reduced rental fee of only £300 for the first 2 hours, saving almost £100. This gives you full access to our entire venue including all of our board games and video games, plus additional options not available during standard sessions (eg. Guitar Hero Full Band, Karaoke, DDR games, custom music playlists movie or presentation screenings). Our standard T+C's regarding private bookings apply with a couple of addendums:
The 50% deposit must be paid before the end of February, and will be non refundable (rescheduling up to May 31st).
Party bookings can only be booked on available dates up until the 31st of May 2026.
All other party perks will be available; party bags / BYOB, music games, 30% discount on pizza from Nonna Said!
To make use of the offer, visit our Private Booking page as soon as possible in February and fill out the special offer form before all 10 spaces are filled up!
Lucky Dip Raffle
Throughout the month of February we will have a lucky dip raffle in our cafe. You can visit anytime and for only £1 you get to try your luck! Prizes will include arcade passes, R-CADE merch, toys, games and a few special items.
Donation Button
Lastly, we will have a donation button on our website throughout February too. We understand that there are some members of our community who do not live nearby, or who cannot visit and support the way they would like, so we have created a donation button for you to support as much or as little as you wish.
https://square.link/u/wkkZVaqg
Money from special event ticket sales, sponsorship forms, auction bids, raffles and donations will all be added to our public fundraising goal. Please note that standard arcade passes and online store purchases will not count towards our fundraising goal.
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!
