City Bloc Recovery Fund

City Bloc Needs a Bit of Help

We try to be as self sufficient as possible, weathering whatever storms come our way. But as we learned during lockdown, sometimes things come along that knocks us sideways, and that's when community support matters most.

What Happened

In the early hours on 20th August, burglars broke into City Bloc. But this wasn't just a simple theft, it was devastating. They weren't opportunists, this was an organised gang. They didn't just take things; they systematically stripped our business of essential and costly items and caused expensive damage to our space.

The theft was extensive:

On top of the stolen items there was damage caused from break in and water damage: When they ripped out the coffee machine, they didn't bother to turn off the water. For about 4 hours, water flowed freely across our reception area and mats. This caused water damage to our electrics, computers, sound system, and caused extensive water damage that took days to sort out.

They even stole our wet vacuums, so the cleanup was painfully slow until we could get an emergency replacement.

Ongoing Impact - It Wiped Out Our Heating Budget

The break-in hit us harder than we initially realised. Yes, insurance will cover some of the losses, but there's a significant lag before we see that money, and not everything is covered. But here's what really stings - the break in cost us our heating fund.

We'd finally saved enough to install some heating before winter hits. Nothing fancy - just enough to create warm zones when it gets properly cold. Anyone who's climbed here in winter knows exactly what we're talking about. We were ready to press go, get it sorted for the depths of winter ahead.

But the insurance claim is taking much longer than expected, and we've had to pay for all replacement equipment upfront just to keep operating. In the meantime:

And through it all, the invoices keep rolling in. Rent, utilities, VAT bill, staff wages, bills from suppliers, plus the additional upfront costs of buying replacement equipment - sadly they don't stop because a gang has nicked and damaged much of the stuff you need to run a business.

Sadly we had to use our entire heating budget just to stay afloat. Now we're heading into another winter with no heating which is dissapointing to say the least.

Why We're Asking

This is difficult for us. We've always tried to be the ones weathering our own storms. We've survived tough times before through sheer determination and the belief that what we do matters.

But one thing we do know is that City Bloc is bigger than us.

City Bloc isn't just a business; its a place where people come together to challenge themselves, to meet friends, to escape the stresses of daily life. I guess we see ourselves more as guardians of this space, not owners. And the reality is the Bloc needs a bit of help to weather this storm - and finally get some warmth for the winter ahead.

The Reality of Running City Bloc

We'll be honest – we don't run this business to get rich. If we wanted to make money, we'd be in a very different line of work! We run City Bloc because we care deeply about climbing and about people. We believe in what climbing can do for individuals and communities.

But the reality is that running a business like ours has become increasingly expensive in many ways, the operating costs keep rising. Leeds has a lot of brilliant climbing walls, but that means competition is fierce. Every month is a careful balance of providing the best possible experience for our community while keeping the lights on.

This break in has tipped that balance, and we need help getting back to where we can focus on what we do best, serving our climbing community.

How You Can Help

We'll use any funds raised to cover the shortfall this burglary has created and get our heating budget back. Every pound will go towards making sure we're resilient through the depths of winter ahead.

Any contribution, no matter how small, will help. Your support will go towards:

Anything would help. Seriously - every pound makes a difference right now.

We Totally Understand

We completely understand if you can't help financially - we know these are tough times for everyone. We've already had so many well wishers and messages of support, and that means so much to us. Just knowing that people care about City Bloc and want to see it succeed gives us the strength to keep going.

We're Not Going Anywhere

City Bloc has faced challenges before, and we've always found a way through. This time won't be different – but with your help, we can bounce back stronger and faster.

Every donation, every share, every word of support reminds us why we do this. It's not about the building or the equipment (though we need those too). It's about the community we've built together.

Thank you everyone, from Ben, Jen and the team x