One of Hull’s biggest attractions, The Deep aquarium is struggling to survive during the coronavirus epidemic. It’s Easter weekend in a few days and there are going to be a lot of businesses that will miss out on their busiest time of year, The Deep being one of them.
It is heartbreaking to see businesses struggle to keep their heads above water in this tumultuous time. Raising awareness of ways in which people can help is one way in which we are trying to help those independents through this period of time.
The Deep, being an education charity means it receives no external funding or subsidies, without which the company is 100% reliant on self-generated income. Lockdown will not be ending any time soon and, with the attractions main income being visitor admissions, they are worried for the future. With 3,000 animals to care for it is critical that something is done.
CEO at The Deep, Katy Duke, has said how this is the ‘toughest financial crisis’ that this industry has ever faced. With uncertainty around when this will all end, it is hard to make plans for the future of the aquarium.
She has said that “During the closure, our income has stopped but our costs haven’t. Animal care remains our top priority, but as you can imagine, this isn’t cheap. In addition to food for our animals we must continue to run life support filtration systems, maintain excellent water quality, which involves making salt water for the exhibits and extensive water testing. Veterinary care must be on hand should we need it and of course the associated utility bills must be paid.
“In addition to food for our animals we must continue to run life support filtration systems, maintain excellent water quality, which involves making salt water for the exhibits and extensive water testing. Veterinary care must be on hand should we need it and of course the associated utility bills must be paid.”
“We have furloughed many our employees under the Government’s job retention scheme across the different departments however we cannot furlough our animal care staff, who, in the context of zoos and aquaria are our essential workers.
Katy carried on saying “The next few months will be critical for us. This really is about financial survival and we will be continuing to pursue all avenues available to us including a Government backed loan. Even with furloughed staff our running costs to keep our ‘closed’ building operational is around £6,500 a day.
“As we approach what would have been our busiest season of the year, the Easter holidays, we are asking our loyal supporters for help. If you would have visited us over this holiday period, please consider making a donation. We know it’s a difficult time for everyone, so I would like to say a heartfelt thank you to everyone who has donated so far, offered support or simply given us words of encouragement. It means so much to the team who are working so hard.
“We really hope we can survive this, and to continue to be an educational resource for our area and a strong animal conservation charity.”
If you would like to help The Deep simply click here and then choose the donate button. Every little will help, so give what you can.
[Featured image: Unsplash]
