Music Venue Trust announce traffic light system to save grassroots venues in crisis

Since the COVID-19 pandemic began Music Venue Trust have been working tirelessly to secure the future of as many grassroots music venues in the UK as possible.

Following the distribution of the UK government's Cultural Recovery Fund, Music Venue Trust have been working with venues that had unsuccessful applications, and the latest development announced today (11 November) is a traffic light campaign that highlights which venues are in the most danger of closing permanently.

The traffic light system highlights venues at risk of imminent closure between now and 31 March 2021. There are currently 30 grassroots venues in the red light, 273 listed as amber, and 353 under the green light.

Venues in the red zone include London's The Lexington, Brixton Windmill, London's The Waiting Room, The Venue in Derby, The Railway Inn in Winchester, The Gellions in Inverness, The Lantern in Halifax and more.

Mark Davyd, CEO of Music Venue Trust, said of the traffic light system, "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 £3m in donations and have unlocked over £80m 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 which 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."