Clockwise from top left – Clara Cullen (Venue Support Manager), Aled Owens (Wales Coordinator), Jay Taylor (England Coordinator), Sophie Asquith (England Coordinator) and Oliver Melling (Scotland Coordinator)

Music Venue Trust Announce Scotland & Wales Coordinators for Venue Support Team

Oliver Melling & Aled Owens Appointed to Key National Roles

Restructured Division To Provide Extended Service for Grassroots Music Venues Throughout the UK

Music Venue Trust (MVT), the charity which represents over 900 UK Grassroots Music Venues (GMVs), has announced details of its restructured Venue Support Team, which oversees the organisation’s emergency response service supporting venues facing threats to their continued operation.

Two appointments to key positions have been unveiled with Oliver Melling announced as Scotland Coordinator and Aled Owens overseeing the service for GMVs in Wales. They join England coordinators Jay Taylor & Sophie Asquith, and Venue Support Manager Clara Cullen in the newly extended team.

Oliver Melling is based in Glasgow and is a live music professional with a long track record of working for and with GMVs. Before joining MVT he worked in an event-production role in the world-famous Sub Club.

Wrexham based Aled Owens began his career as the in-house promoter before becoming General manager of The Live Rooms in Chester. He is also the Festival manager of FOCUS Wales festival, a role he has held since 2011.

The five members of the Venue Support Team work alongside 44 MVT ‘gurus’, a panel of experts offering insight and professional advice into a range of issues including licensing, planning, acoustics, legal, architectural, health & safety, financial viability and more.

Beverley Whitrick, COO of MVT

“Our Venue Support Team is a key pillar of the work we undertake on behalf our members. More than ever, we need a well-coordinated, robust response to the multiple threats facing the Grassroots Music Venue sector and in the appointments of Oliver and Aled we have further extended our reach throughout the UK. They are both passionate and experienced live music professionals who are fully focused on providing source support services to Scotland and Wales respectively. The vast majority of Grassroots Music Venues operate on a profit margin of no more than 0.2% and are facing enormous challenges including catastrophic energy price increases, inflationary pressures and increased alcohol duties. With these venues currently closing at a rate of one per week there has never been a greater need for our team’s expertise.”