The Met is lucky. We have found a growing group of people who like what we do. And during the lockdown many of you have proved it by becoming members to support us during our most challenging time.  

We’ve asked ourselves many questions over recent weeks. How are we going to continue our work when we can’t hold shows from our venue? How are we going to support those who rely on our workshops to interact when they are experiencing a time of intense isolation? How are we going to make sure we’re still here when this is all over? 

We’re an optimistic bunch. We’ve focused on what we CAN do, rather than worry about what we can’t. But it’s undeniable that we’re faced with a lot of uncertainty. As we all experience this enforced break from our venue, we’ve been putting a lot of thought into the time when we can reopen our doors again, and the people that are helping us get to that day.  

Some members come to 20 gigs a year. Some maybe just one or two. Some come to comedy nights; some are regular culture vultures always looking to try something new. Many can spare a fiver a month; a few are able to donate much more. We do offer our members benefits including priority booking for shows, exclusive monthly updates and access to private soundchecks, but what we get in return is far more valuable. 

Many places talk about members being at the heart of what they do, but Covid-19 has shown us just how much our members mean to us as an organisation. Our members have kept us going. They have sent messages of support, reminding us why they love our work and want to be more involved with our organisation. 

We’ve been even more humbled to see our membership family grow during this time as people have rallied with us to offer their help. As a charity who exists to support our community, we have been overwhelmed by just how much our community has supported us. Our members have been our backbone, our much-needed reminder to keep pushing on, and our reassurance that we can get to the other side of this.

Not to mention these memberships have given us reliable income during a time when our main revenue – ticket sales – has been completely decimated. And because of this, our future doesn’t look quite so bleak as it otherwise would have. 

As overjoyed as we are to have the support of such a lovely crowd of people, our gratitude matched tenfold by the members of our community who our work supports. Our members have enabled us to bring culture to people at a time when they need it most, meaning membership matters not only to us, but to everyone who visits or uses our organisation.  

Your support means we can support others. And for that we cannot thank you enough.  

If you’re interested in joining us as one of our members, you can find out more here.