Around thirty music venues across the United Kingdom are at risk of closing their doors for good, due to the lack of government support throughout the COVID-19 pandemic, according to Music Venue Trust.
The charity states that these venues were not eligible for the Government’s ‘Culture Recovery Fund’, putting them in “imminent danger of permanent closure”. With another 273 venues unlikely to make it past March without additional funding.
“There are lots of venues whose application has been unsuccessful, and they were really worthy of funding.
Said Toni-Coe Brooker, who is the Programs Manager for both the Green Door Store and Rossi Bar venues in Brighton, with the latter being one of the thirty at immediate risk of closing.
“There will always be a way for music venues to continue in the future, but we are going to lose a lot of really important places in the process.”
The ‘Culture Recovery Fund’ was established back in July, to financially support music venues and other cultural organisations through the pandemic.
Many arts and culture sites have been unable to open since the beginning of March, due to national lockdowns and social distancing guidelines. This has led to an estimated £900 million contribution to the UK economy being wiped out and thousands of jobs being put at risk.
.
