UPDATE!!

Thank you!

Because of you, MVP have now raised £1,508,000 from 1,349 investors in this campaign. An extraordinary show of support from a community that truly believes in the future of grassroots music.

Every single investment, from first-time gig-goers to lifelong music lovers, has helped us get here. You’re not just backers. You’re co-owners of these vital venues and champions of a revolutionary model for live music in the UK.

Thank you for standing with venues, and for helping make this vision a reality!

____________________________________________________________________________

**Please Note – The deadline for the Own Our Venues Share Offer has now been extended to 14th November 2025 – Whilst The Lubber Fiend is no longer part of the campaign but we are able to announce the addition of 3 more vital grassroots community venues to the campaign, Northern Guitars – Leeds, Gut Level – Sheffield and Little Buildings – Newcastle

MUSIC VENUE PROPERTIES HAVE ANNOUNCED A SECOND COMMUNITY SHARE OFFERING TO PURCHASE ICONIC UK GRASSROOTS MUSIC VENUES UNDER ITS ‘OWN OUR VENUES’ INITIATIVE

Our very own Sugarmill is among the venues included in new the acquisition plans!

You know about us, but what about Music Venue Properties and Own Our Venues?

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 existing, local infrastructure.

Following the success of its first campaign in 2023, which raised £2.88 million and secured the future of venues including 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 vital cultural spaces.

The ‘cultural lease’ provides long-term security by offering stability that typical commercial leases, averaging just 18 months, 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 have now announced plans to acquire a further seven venues via a second community share offer, which is OPEN NOW. This will focus on the purchase of longstanding, iconic music spaces such as The Sugarmill, Esquires in Bedford & The Joiners in Southampton, alongside key community hubs such as The Croft in Bristol, Peggy’s Skylight in Nottingham, The Lubber Fiend in Newcastle and The Pipeline in Brighton.

The Sugarmill’s Director, Phil Archer-Jones said “The Sugarmill has been an integral part of Stoke-on-Trent’s cultural offering for the last 30 years. They say ‘’time stands still for no man’’ and so it’s time for us to be able to start to plan for the next 30 years and beyond. We want to work with MVP to make sure that The Sugarmill maintains its vitally important place on the UK’s grassroots circuit. It’s time to look at new business arrangements and funding models to ensure the venue survives as a resource for the whole city to utilise and to be proud of for years to come.’’

Want a slice of the action?

Head to www.crowdfunder.co.uk/p/own-our-venues  to be a part of what we’re building!