Dear all, At last it is official! The Black Cap Foundation in conjunction with Estate Agent Davis Coffer Lyons and Stephen Cox, owner of Kicking Horse, is marketing The Black Cap Pub to new tenants who will re-open this legendary LGBTQ+ pub and cabaret venue. Can you share the news far and wide on facebook, twitter, email, and telling as many people about this as possible. This is Good News, and with your help, let's get as many interested parties to come forward as we possibly can. This is the updated press release: FOR IMMEDIATE PUBLICATION 17th October 2017 UPDATED: LONDON’S LEGENDARY BLACK CAP PUB SEEKS NEW BOSSES Operators are now being sought to run the iconic Black Cap on Camden High Street after the recent announcement that the owners had agreed to look for new tenants to re-open this legendary LGBTQ+ pub and cabaret venue. Black Cap Foundation, the community campaign group set up to reopen the venue, have been working with Kicking Horse, who own the freehold of the Black Cap site, the to finalise the property and business details. It is being co-marketed by Davis Coffer Lyons Estate Agents and Black Cap Foundation. The official Estate Agent Sales Brochure, written by Black Cap Foundation in conjunction with Stephen Cox is here: http://bit.ly/BlackCapSaleBrochure Brochure interest has been high, with over 310 brochure downloads from the Davis Coffer Lyons site since Monday morning! There is a process to follow. Parties have agreed that Davis Coffer Lyons shall be in charge of all viewings, access to and showing interested parties around the building. All interested parties shall need to demonstrate that they are serious before time is expended on viewings. This shall mean any entities wishing to view shall be subject to an initial review as to their credit / financial position and covenant strength, before being allowed access to the building. This is standard practice and is necessary to ensure DCL spend time engaging with those parties who are serious, capable and committed to delivering on this exciting opportunity. Initial Facebook story and reaction has also been excellent, and the post is viewable at: https://www.facebook.com/groups/weareblackcap/permalink/1212535538883122 For all sales enquiries please contact in the first instance: Davis Coffer Lyons Estate Agents Connie Start / Paul Tallentyre on 020 7299 0695 / 020 7299 0740, email: cstart@dcl.co.uk / ptallentyre@dcl.co.uk Black Cap Foundation: Alex Green, Chris Clark: enquiries@weareblackcap.com The move to reopen the pub after two and a half years being closed as an LGBTQ+ venue has the full support of Camden Council; as well as London Mayor Sadiq Khan, and the GLA culture-at-risk team. All sides agreed to work together to identify a new, third-party leaseholder to reopen the Black Cap as soon as possible. Black Cap Foundation director Alex Green said: “We’re thrilled at this agreement. This is a crucial step towards our goal of reopening the Black Cap, and we welcome the cooperation of the freeholders and the support of Camden council and the GLA in making that a reality. “We’ve always believed the Black Cap’s unique, irreplaceable legacy of community and culture is worth fighting for, and can’t wait to see how it will be reinvented next.” A spokesperson for Kicking Horse said: “We very much hope to find the leaseholder with the right vision, experience and resources to begin a brand new chapter for this world-famous venue.” Amy Lamé, Night Czar, said: “I would love to see the legendary Black Cap open for business again. Over the past decade, London has lost more than half of its LGBT+ venues and this must stop. The Mayor is clear that LGBT+ venues are a fundamental part of London’s vibrant nightlife and culture, and has tasked me with stemming the flow of closures across the city.” Interest in the offering is expected to be high, with over 220 downloads of the Davis Coffer Lyons sales brochure from the DCL site taking place within 24 hours of the first Black Cap Foundation Facebook post on Sunday 15th October. BACKGROUND The Black Cap has been a space of queer community and culture since before partial decriminalisation of homosexuality in 1967. Known as the ‘Palladium of Drag’, it has hosted residencies by groundbreaking performers such as Lily Savage, Mrs Shufflewick and Regina Fong, after whom the pub’s first-floor Shufflewick Bar and Fong Terrace are named. More recently, it was home to the Family Fierce, who showcased acts from RuPaul’s Drag Race. Since the 2015 closure, the Black Cap Foundation has maintained a weekly Saturday afternoon vigil outside the pub, celebrating the venue’s past and sharing stories with local residents while campaigning for its reopening. A recent report from University College London’s Urban Laboratory found that 58% of London’s LGBTQ+ venues have closed in the past decade, despite many remaining commercially viable. The Black Cap’s new leaseholder will take on a 25-year lease for the five-storey building at 171 Camden High Street. The site has Asset of Community Status and sui generis planning use class and requires significant capital expenditure. Conversations are already underway with a number of prospective leaseholders but more interested parties are sought so the best, and most appropriate operator can be found. Interested parties are encouraged to contact Chris Clark and Alex Green of the Black Cap Foundation on enquiries@weareblackcap.com and Paul Tallentyre of David Coffer Lyons sales agent on ptallentyre@dcl.co.uk for further details. --ends-- Contact: Alex Green, Black Cap Foundation director and #WeAreTheBlackCap campaign spokesperson alex@loudandqueerly.com And as ever, you, our campaigners, petitioners, vigilers, the highly organised and very supportive folk from The Joiners Arms, and Royal Vauxhall Tavern, the London and National Press, BBC, Channel 4 and other TV channels, Camden Council, City Hall, our terrific Celebrity supporters, our politicians, have all variously got involved to support us over the years to make this possible. Let's find the right type of new tenant quickly, and let's get The Black Cap open as soon as possible! Chris Clark Black Cap Foundation.