Bury St Edmunds’ music scene raises £5,000 for Rehearsal Rooms in St Andrew’s Street South during Yorkshire Gas and Power ordeal

A Bury St Edmunds business owner is ‘overwhelmed with pride’ at the music scene which raised thousands of pounds after his power was cut — leaving the business relying on a generator to keep the lights on.

Neil Attridge, 50, opened The Rehearsal Rooms in St Andrew’s Street South in 2005 — a space with two rooms available for musicians and artists to hire for rehearsing, writing or teaching.

However, after Yorkshire Gas and Power cut the electricity to the business last week after months of issues with the provider and the energy meter, Neil launched a GoFundMe page which has raised more than £5,000 to support the venue.

He said: “It just shows how strong our music community is here in Bury.

“I’m just overwhelmed with pride and the support has been truly amazing.

“I just want to say a massive thank you to everyone who have pitched in to help with this, it really means a lot.”

After Neil switched energy provider to Yorkshire Gas and Power last July, he believes a faulty smart meter was installed which showed charges more than three times higher than his previous bills.

Despite paying the estimated bills for several months, Neil said the costs became ‘unsustainable’ and made repeated requests to have the meter replaced to hopefully resolve the issues, which were refused.

The situation escalated last week when engineers arrived unannounced and cut off the electricity to the premises. Since then, Neil has kept the business running by using a generator.

He took the case to the Ombudsman, which ruled in his favour — ordering Yorkshire Gas and Power to issue an apology and provide £200 in credit. However, the company is demanding £4,858 before they will reconnect the power.

Out of options, Neil launched a GoFundMe page to ‘Save The Rehearsal Rooms’, a plea that gained momentum as Bury’s music community rallied behind him with many sharing they used the space themselves and wanted to help.

The fund-raiser has now reached £5,665, including a £1,000 donation from an anonymous donor — a gesture that left Neil lost for words to see such support during a difficult time.

Yorkshire Gas and Power was approached for comment.