Music Venue Properties Adds Three More Grassroots Music Venues To Its ‘Own Our Venues’ Initiative And Extends Community Share Offer

Northern Guitars (Leeds), Gut Level (Sheffield) & Little Buildings (Newcastle) join campaign, now running until 14 November 2025

www.ownourvenues.com

  
Music Venue Properties (MVP), the pioneering Charitable Community Benefit Society created by Music Venue Trust (MVT), has announced the latest developments in its groundbreaking ‘Own Our Venues’ project, the national initiative securing the future of Grassroots Music Venues (GMVs) through community ownership.

Three new venues have been added to the Campaign: Northern Guitars in Leeds, Gut Level in Sheffield, and Little Buildings in Newcastle. These additions bring further regional diversity to the project and strengthen MVP’s mission to safeguard some of the UK’s most vital cultural spaces.

Speaking about what impact the acquisition would have, Allan Scorer, co-owner of Little Buildings, Newcastle said: “MVP’s ownership and support would give us the chance to move beyond survival and focus on what we do best, giving bands a space to grow, building community, and keeping local music thriving in Newcastle.”

Rick Wade of Northern Guitars, Leeds called it “a lifeline for a little live music jewel now facing imminent landlord issues.”

Katie Matthews of Gut Level in Sheffield said: “Through MVP’s community ownership model, we can secure this space for the long term, ensuring it remains a home for our community for years to come.”

 

The second phase of the scheme was announced in May and has already raised over £1.1 million of its £1.5m target. In response to strong momentum, and to allow more music fans to invest, MVP has confirmed that the deadline for investment will now be extended until 14 November 2025. Anyone can invest to help own venues across the country from as little as £50.

The Own Our Venues initiative focuses on removing Grassroots Music Venues from vulnerable commercial leases by placing them into community ownership. The aim is to provide long-term stability to venues that are essential for fostering local talent and providing cultural value to their communities.

Following the success of the first phase of the campaign in 2023, which raised £2.88 million and secured the future of The Snug in Atherton, The Ferret in Preston, Le Pub in Newport, The Bunkhouse in Swansea and The Booking Hall in Dover, MVP is once again calling on music lovers and local communities to take action in order to protect Grassroots Music Venues for generations to come.

Chris Sherrington – Campaign Manager, Own Our Venues (Music Venue Properties)

Chris Sherrington – Campaign Manager, Own Our Venues (Music Venue Properties)
“The immediate threat faced by these three venues shows the risk that so many grassroots spaces are under, with more communities facing losing vital music provision. At the same time, they highlight the incredible range of venues and fans we stand to protect, three small but critical spaces serving their local scenes.

This is an opportunity for local issues to be solved at a national level and this campaign is about more than saving individual venues; it’s about changing the model for grassroots music in the UK. Community ownership provides long-term security and gives music fans the power to create a National Trust for Music. Extending the deadline gives more people the chance to invest, and we urge everyone who cares about live music to get involved and help secure its future.”

 

The ‘cultural lease’ MVP uses, provides long-term security by offering stability that typical commercial leases, which on average have just 18 months left on them, cannot. These leases ensure fair, sustainable rent, annual contributions toward essential maintenance, and ongoing support in areas such as financial sustainability and operational best practice. This comprehensive support helps venues focus on their mission to bring music to their local communities while shielding them from the financial pressures of the commercial lease market.

MVP’s current acquisition plans include Esquires in Bedford, The Sugarmill in Stoke-on-Trent, The Joiners in Southampton, The Croft in Bristol, Peggy’s Skylight in Nottingham, The Pipeline in Brighton, Northern Guitars in Leeds, Gut Level in Sheffield, and Little Buildings in Newcastle. MVP also confirms that The Lubber Fiend in Newcastle, previously part of MVP’s possible pipeline of venue purchases, is now in a more secure position as the ownership of its building is no longer being contested. As a result, it does not need support through the current share offer, allowing MVP to focus investment on venues at greater risk.

More information and other supporting documents are available on the Music Venue Properties websites: www.ownourvenues.com www.musicvenueproperties.com