Venue Champions

The first step in our campaign to secure the future of small independent venues involves a piece of government legislation which allows groups of individuals to nominate a local building as an Asset of Community Value (ACV). An ACV is defined as a building or land used to further the social wellbeing, in particular, though not exclusively, the cultural, recreational or sporting interests of the local community. 

Getting a venue listed will not only help change the perception of it with the local council and help us build a map of valued venues, but also means that if the owner puts the building up for sale we can pause the process to attempt to purchase the building ourselves. In many cases there may be no immediate plans to sell the building BUT this does not mean that you should wait to list your beloved venue as an ACV - we are trying to head off the need for "Save our Venue from closing" petitions by getting in much earlier in the process. This is a long-term plan rather than fire-fighting.

Nominating a venue as an ACV is something that can only be done by local music enthusiasts - it can't be done by the venue itself or by the Music Venue Trust. This is why we need VENUE CHAMPIONS across the UK - people who love their local venue and are prepared to not only work with us to fill in the relevant forms, but who are also prepared to be the public face of a local campaign, to speak to local press, and to recruit at least 20 other local residents to sign the all-important Nominators Form.

If you think that you might be a Venue Champion, please read the Venue Champions PDF

and then email us at musicvenuetrust@gmail.com