# Waller-Bridge donates flat to Writers’ Block scheme

- Link: https://fundraising.co.uk/2026/11/09/waller-bridge-donates-flat-to-writers-block-scheme/
- Published: 2026-11-09T07:41:00+00:00
- Author: Howard Lake

**Actress, screenwriter and producer Phoebe Waller-Bridge has donated the rent-free
use of a London flat she bought for early-career writers, as part of Writers’ Block,
a new scheme tackling the cost of London accommodation for playwrights from disadvantaged
backgrounds.**

The resident of the flat pays the bills only. Jack Thorne has also contributed financially,
and the scheme is backed by James Graham, Sally Wainwright and Peter Morgan, along
with Lee Hall, Rebecca Lenkiewicz, Stephen Beresford, Caryl Churchill, Martin McDonagh
and David Lan. The Estate of Harold Pinter has also contributed.

### How Writers’ Block works

Writers’ Block is run in partnership with [Omnibus Theatre in Clapham](https://www.omnibus-clapham.org/).
It matches playwrights with Londoners who have a spare room or property to rent 
at reduced rates. These “Omnihosts” charge no more than £30 a night or £500 a month,
and many charge less. Stays range from a single night to longer terms. The scheme
has also funded a Writers’ Cabin, a free workspace for playwrights.

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### From award to accommodation

Writers’ Block was created by Sofie Mason and Diana Jervis-Read, founders of the
Off West End Theatre Awards and OffWestEnd.com. It builds on the **Adopt a Playwright
Award**, set up in 2008 to support emerging writers from disadvantaged backgrounds.

The annual £10,000 award has supported 55 writers as winners or runners-up, including
Ryan Calais Cameron, Sarah Grochala and Kenny Emson. Many winners spent the money
on London accommodation, which prompted the wider scheme.

### Pilot results

In the pilot year, 15 homes signed up and 12 writers stayed. Reported savings include
about £850 a month for Emma-Louise Howell, about £600 a month for Tommy Sissons 
and between £4,000 and £6,000 over a year for Steve Hevey.

The need is clear. Research from the Creative Industries Policy and Evidence Centre
and [the Sutton Trust](https://www.suttontrust.com/news-opinion/all-news-opinion/research-reveals-stark-class-inequalities-in-access-to-the-creative-industries/)
found that 16 per cent of creative industry workers come from working-class backgrounds.
Also, 41 per cent of Adopt a Playwright members live outside London.

Thorne said: “For many writers the need for a roof makes writing impossible which
is why this pilot is so important.”

Graham said: “We don’t need grand gestures, just someone to open a door and help
us keep going.”

### What fundraisers can learn

Writers’ Block shows what gifts in kind can achieve alongside cash. A donated flat
and spare rooms from ordinary householders remove a specific barrier directly, and
the £30 and £500 caps make the offer easy to understand.

High-profile donors lend credibility, but the pilot’s evidence, with 12 writers 
housed and measurable savings, gives the next appeal a story beyond the famous names.
When it launched, the scheme was also presented as a model other theatres could 
replicate, which suggests scope for similar approaches elsewhere in the arts.

 * **[Keep it Fringe Fund offers £100k to Edinburgh Fringe performers](https://fundraising.co.uk/2023/03/14/keep-it-fringe-fund-offers-100k-to-edinburgh-fringe-performers/)(
   14 March 2023)**
 * **[Fleabag Support Fund to help theatre workers in financial need during COVID](https://fundraising.co.uk/2020/03/23/funding-to-tackle-covid-19-and-its-impact#h_fleabag)(
   23 March 2020)**
 * **[London’s oldest restaurant donated to the National Trust](https://fundraising.co.uk/2026/11/03/londons-oldest-restaurant-given-to-national-trust/)(
   3 November 2026)**