#saveourvenues hashtag cash dash to rescue sites

Music Venue Trust, which represents hundreds of UK grassroots music venues, has announced latest phase of its hugely successful #saveour venues campaign, focused on securing the future of 30 nationwide venues ineligible to receive funding from, or unsuccessful in applying for, recent government-backed Cultural Recovery Fund.

Such grassroots venues play a crucial role in development of the arts, nurturing local talent, providing a platform for artists to build their careers and develop their music and performance skills.

These venues also play a vital role in the cultural and economic vibrancy of any village, town or city.

This new traffic light campaign highlights sites considered safe until March 31 (green – 353 venues), those at risk of closure between now and March 31 without additional support (amber - 273 venues) and those in imminent danger of permanent closure (red - 30 venues).

A range of targeted activity under #saveourvenues banner, chiming with Your Time’s The Show Must Go On crusade, are based around a combined effort by audiences, local communities, councils and creative communities to prevent permanent closure of these remaining venues.

MVT now urges everyone who cares about these venues to write to their local MP, council, charities and anyone else they can think of to demand action to prevent them from being closed for good.

Music Venue Trust CEO Mark Davyd said: “What the #saveourvenues campaign has achieved during the last eight months is truly remarkable.

“Thanks to the efforts of music fans, local communities and the wider music sector we have raised over £3 million in donations and have unlocked over £80 million in government assistance to help stave off the imminent closure of over 400 grassroots music venues.

“We are now focusing exclusively on those 30 remaining venues that face immediate permanent closure.

“If people want these local venues to still be there when this is over, there is a very clear call to action. Choose a venue, get donating, get writing, get calling, get organised. Save them all. Reopen every venue safely.”

A new initiative powered by Crowdfunder has been launched to secure the future of these 30 GMVs.

By visiting a single landing page at www. crowdfunder.co.uk/saveour-venues-red-list people can choose an individual site to donate to.

If an individual target is reached by a particular venue, surplus donations will go toward supporting others in crisis.

As part of these efforts, there will also be a new range of merchandise, exclusively available to support the campaign. Every item bought directly supports a venue, with MVT paying costs of printing, packing and delivery.

Visit www.crowdfunder. co.uk/save-our-venues-redlist site.