Portsmouth based party company 'overwhelmed' as £4,000 crowdfunder saves them from closure

Independently-run Portsmouth Party DJ is now set to survive the coronavirus pandemic after members of the public donated £2,000 in less than a month, with a further £2,000 topped up by Portsmouth City Council.

The cash will be used to cover the company's bills, insurance costs and rent payments, which would have been impossible due to the cancellation of all its upcoming events and parties as well as the fact it wasn't eligible for any government help.

Founder Alex Dutton, from Eastney, said: ‘We didn't think we were going to raise £200, it was quite shocking.

‘When I started Portsmouth Party DJ I wanted it to be family orientated – I wanted the community to feel part of the decisions we made such as what themes we had for events and now they've really become a part of it.’

In return for donations supporters were given the choice to receive discounts for future parties or an annual pass to events.

The 31-year-old dad of three said: ‘No one wants to feel like they're begging.

‘So about 75 per cent of the people who donated chose to get discounted events or yearly passes out of it.

‘Without this funding we would've either had to shut down completely or sell all our equipment to try to keep going for a bit, it saved us.’

His business partner Vicki Lackenby, 32, added: ‘I phoned Alex when we reached £1,000 and cried, I was so overwhelmed.

‘It was incredible to me that these customers, many of them strangers, believed in us that much. We love everyone who has supported us.’

The new crowdfunding scheme was adapted by Portsmouth City Council and Shaping Portsmouth to help small businesses weather the Covid-19 outbreak.

Through the site businesses can ask for money for services they will receive in the future when they reopen and the council will offer match funding of up to £5,000 per project to those which meet set criteria.

Other live projects currently needing donations in the city include alternative club night Monday night Delight, Sassy Harvey Imaginations princess parties and The Meat Thief catering company.

For more information on the crowdfunding scheme visit crowdfunder.co.uk/funds/crowdfund-portsmouth

A message from the Editor

Thank you for reading this story on portsmouth.co.uk. While I have your attention, I also have an important request to make of you.

With the coronavirus lockdown having a major impact on many of our advertisers - and consequently the revenue we receive - we are more reliant than ever on you taking out a digital subscription.

Subscribe to portsmouth.co.uk and enjoy unlimited access to local news and information online and on our app. With a digital subscription, you can read more than 5 articles, see fewer ads, enjoy faster load times, and get access to exclusive newsletters and content. Visit our Subscription page now to sign up.

Our journalism costs money and we rely on advertising, print and digital revenues to help to support them. By supporting us, we are able to support you in providing trusted, fact-checked content for this website.