Into Creative Supports: Save Our Venues
Campaign: Save Our Venues
Venue: Various, UK wide
Date: Ongoing
Due to the Covid-19 pandemic, we are in unprecedented times and this is affecting every single one of us, our families, friends, colleagues and the wider population. We see various initiatives to raise money for NHS, local, national charities and also to support people and small businesses whose income streams have been hit hard at this time.
Musically, the U.K. has a rich talent pool and as part of that, those artists and bands rely upon a vibrant grassroots base to provide a stage to showcase their talents through a myriad of small to medium size venues. Why is this important? Well, they allows local talent to develop and grow, they are a social haven for people to meet and enjoy what’s on offer and they are vital to the economic wellbeing of villages, towns and cities throughout the U.K.
However, many of them are now at threat of permanent closure and will not be able to recover sufficiently to reopen in the future. The lack of coordinated and effective strategies and support from the government has meant the future looks increasingly bleak for these cherished venues, many of whom do not qualify for any government assistance. Emergency cultural funding schemes such as that announced by the Mayor of London are of course welcome but nationally, it’s simply not enough.
There is though a bright ray of sunshine in the form of the #saveourvenues campaign which is an initiative launched on 27 April 2020 by the registered charity, Music Venue Trust. At present they have identified 556 venues across the U.K. including many in Scotland who are in dire need of support. The trust have set up a donate function and are asking for support from those who may be able to spare some money, however little, in order to secure and protect the future of our beloved music venues. A dedicated website, Save Our Venues has been set up and has various options on how to donate which are detailed below.
Despite having launched only a few days ago, the campaign has already gained excellent coverage across social media via the hashtag #saveourvenues as well as on outlets such as BBC Radio2 and via artists such as Frank Turner and Supergrass.
It’s difficult and not all can support due to personal circumstances, that’s absolutely fine. If however, you can, please visit the website and consider where and how you can support our music venues. Thanks.
John Welsh
@welshjb
Links:
https://saveourvenues.co.uk/#/
https://twitter.com/musicvenuetrust
https://twitter.com/Republic_Media